Tribes have spent $9.8 million on lobbyists and campaign contributions in New York state since 2005, according to a new report, an amount that's dwarfed by spending from non-Indian gaming interests.
According to the Common Cause New York report, tribes spent $8.5 million on lobbyists and made $1.1 million in campaign contributions. Non-Indian gaming interests, on the other hand, spent about $40 million during the same time period. The spending has ramped up in recent years amid talk of expanding non-Indian gaming. In the first half of 2012 alone, gaming interests spend $4 million on lobbying and made more than $700,000 in campaign contributions, the report said. Even though non-Indian gaming interests, on the whole, are spending more money, the Oneida Nation was the single biggest spender, according to the report. The tribe spent $3.3 million on lobbyists and made $258,000 in campaign contributions from 2005 through June 2012. Get the Story: