New York | Openings & Closings

Seneca Nation begins work on $40M gaming expansion project

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Seneca Nation leaders break ground on the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo, New York. Photo from Facebook

The Seneca Nation broke ground on a $40 million expansion project at the tribe's casino in downtown Buffalo, New York.

The Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino will be seeing a two-level, 57,000 square-foot addition. There will be more space for slot machines, table games, a performance stage, retail shops and a larger restaurant.

“The economic turnaround of Buffalo is something that many people didn’t think would happen, but look around – it’s happening,” Nation President Maurice A. John, Sr., said in a press release. “The Seneca Nation is an important part of that movement, and this $40 million investment is more evidence that the Seneca Nation and the City of Buffalo are both on the rise.”

The tribe expects to complete work in spring 2017. The expansion will add another 300 jobs at the casino.

The facility is located on an off-reservation site that was placed in "restricted fee" status under a land claim settlement act. The federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the land can be used for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Get the Story:
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino plans $40 million expansion (The Buffalo News 1/14)
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino $40M expansion underway (Buffalo Business First 1/14)
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino expansion groundbreaking set for later this month (Buffalo Business First 1/5)

2nd Circuit Decision:
Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County v. Chaudhuri (September 15, 2015)