Oneida Nation liquor deal seen as very lucrative

Monday, September 7, 2009  

A non-Indian business in New York is expected to make more than $1 million a year by providing alcohol at the Oneida Nation casino.

The tribe entered into a contract with The Beeches to serve liquor at Turning Stone Resort and Casino. Patrons at the casino's five restaurants will have to become "members" in order to be served but anyone can join by paying a one-time $25 fee. Hotel guests and some other customers automatically become members too.

The deal saves the tribe from obtaining a liquor permit from the state. The New York Liquor Authority has denied the tribe over taxation and sovereignty concerns but that's no longer an issue.

"Alcohol is going to be served here under a regulatory scheme that the state of New York has found fit to apply elsewhere,"casino general manager Peter Carmen told The Syracuse Post-Standard.

The Beeches already serves liquor at a casino nightclub under a "members" plan. The business has catered other events through the same process.

Get the Story:
No liquor license? No problem for Turning Stone (The Syracuse Post-Standard 9/6)
Turning Stone liquor deal ‘very lucrative’ (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 9/6)