The Seneca Nation has agreed to enter into arbitration with the state of New York over the Class III gaming compact.

The agreement promises the tribe geographic exclusivity for gaming devices. In exchange, the tribe shares 25 percent of slot machine revenues with the state.

Between 2002 and 2008, the tribe shared $476 million. But the tribe stopped making payments in 2009, alleging that the state has allowed non-Indian operators to offer slot machines and gaming devices in its zone of exclusivity.

"This is a decision the Nation does not make lightly, but it is one the Council and I must make to defend our rights under the Nation’s 2002 compact with New York State. The state has violated that compact for years, and the Nation has simply lost its patience with the lack of progress,” President Robert Odawi Porter said in a press release.

“The Council, the Seneca people, and I are tired of the intrusions into our legal zone of exclusivity by competing casino games and horse tracks that market themselves as casinos," Porter added.

Since 2009, the tribe has withheld more than $350 million and has proposed sending the money directly to local communities. The state has not accepted that idea.

Get the Story:
Senecas agree to arbitration on casino proceeds (The Buffalo News 12/13)
Senecas File For Arbitration Over Gambling Dispute With State (Politics on the Hudson 12/12)

Also Today:
Casino Tower Project Begins (The Jamestown Post-Journal 12/11)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Seneca Nation tries to fool voters with casino poll (12/12)
Seneca Nation's credit rating takes a dip amid gaming dispute (12/2)
Editorial: Communities need Seneca Nation casino revenue (11/7)
Seneca Nation accuses state of bad faith for gaming talks (11/4)
Seneca Nation still holding onto $330M in gaming revenues (11/3)