Seneca Gaming Responds to Casino Study

And you don't need to look any further than downtown Niagara Falls to see that the economic impact of casinos is a myth.

What is the cut for Buffalo after NYS takes theirs? I think that is where the gouging takes place. Buffalo and NF provide services to these proprties and bear the brunt of any ills that the Casinos may bring about so they should get 100% of the 25% slot payout. These funds should have a designated purpose ie. education, culturals, parks.
Bring on a legal battle vs NYS not a company that provides 3000 jobs.

I believe Buffalo's take is 5%.

"Casinos that cater to a local market generally do not bring outside money into the economy through the spending of their patrons. In fact, such casinos may have no net ancillary economic impacts. Residents patronizing such casinos may simply substitute gambling for other goods and services. The secondary impacts of spending on the foregone goods and services would therefore be lost, offsetting any ancillary benefits from gaming expenditures at the casino."

www.bos.frb.org/economic/neppc/memos/2006/brome091406.pdf

No other entity in WNY has invested $1 billion in development in the last 8 years? How about development on the Medical Campus and member institutions?

I see ongoing large scale development taking place on the Medical Campus currently.

I don't know for a fact but it sure seems like Ciminelli Development has invested a considerable amount in the last eight years throughout WNY.

Oh maybe you are talking about development funded by tax-free coffers built up by selling cancer sticks.

What I'd love to see is where supporters of the casino live. Everyone I know living in the city doesn't support this trash.

I say we build it in say, Clarance. ( Bet we'd hear a lot less support!)

Thanks to Buffalo Rising for showing some balance in allowing both sides to present their position.

Those against the Casino seem to view those not on their side, as being pro-Casino. I'd see the majority of WNY'ers falling somewhere in the middle. We're not anxious to see a Casino and it's negative consequences, but we're open to the idea that the city needs to move forward. It's not a silver bullet, but an incremental improvement.

As Steel pointed out yesterday, people can cross the border and gamble now. Why not keep some of those profits local? If gambling really is like 'crack', certainly the addicts are going over the border, leaving their money, and bringing the problems back home, where we deal with them.

Am I pro-Casino? No, but I am pro-Buffalo. We don't all need to be in lock-step with every development. I may not love Chippewa, but I understand where it fits in what the city needs to offer. That hardly makes me pro-Chippewa, just as tolerating the Casino development doesn't make me pro-Casino.

We seem to be at our most productive when we're attempting to limit what others might want to do. That's not what made our city once great, and it's not a blue print for future success.

"No other local entity has invested more than $1 billion in local economic development over the past eight years as the Seneca Nation has done"

Ummmm doesn't UB contribute somewhere close to this to WNY EVERY year? Perhaps is less, I'm not 100% certain. All prejudices aside whether for or against gambling, someone needs to get some real facts about whether or not this is going to hurt or help...

I look forward to Buffalo Rising's next press release regurgitation. Perhaps from R.J. Reynolds touting the benefits of cigarettes.

Wasn't the original plan for Niagara Falls much much larger than what it currently is now? I'm talking disneyworld resort like level of gambling and hospitality services? I'm pretty sure I saw a picture (somewhere) with multiple hotels, a concourse to a larger performing arts center, and more buildings surrounding the current hall and tower. What happened to that? What happened to the great big plans they had for Buffalo Creek??

I still wonder how much opposition there would be if Buffalo and NF's take was higher lets stay 20% us 5% to the state. (DO YOU HEAR THAT POLITICIANS..GET MOVING..lol)

I don't think either casino brings in many out of towners because we as a whole region (Buffalo/Niagara) don't bring in nearly as many out of towners as I think we could. I bet the vast majority of customers in: Niagara Falls Ontario, Ft. Erie Ontario, Hamburg Racino, Seneca Niagara, Buffalo Creek, and the Salamanca casino all come from within TWO hours of those particular locations.

(Of course skewing these numbers a bit in the high seasons for all three casinos in Niagara Falls..basically the only time we have out of towners in town)

Tourism really isn't taken as seriously as it should be here, to say that the Buffalo Creek Casino would be local is correct. As it would be for the Buffalo Bills, Sabres, Bandits, new restaurants/bars, concerts etc.

Jobs, Jobs , Jobs!

"One need to look no further than the more than 3,600 jobs our facilities provide and our more than $110 million annual payroll - despite a down economy - to begin to understand the investment and impact the Seneca Nation and Seneca Gaming Corporation have made locally."

There are many people working in the Niagara Falls Casino and the Buffalo creek Casino that would have left Western New York without those jobs.
A friend of mine works as a blackjack dealer at the Niagara Falls Casino and is doing great. He loves it. He has met many people from all over the world. He also makes more money and has better benefits then most of my friends that have college degrees.

Ahhh. The never ending casino debates. Make them go away. Ahhh!

Dear Seneca Nation:

You just proved the point perfectly...

"One need to look no further than the more than 3,600 jobs our facilities provide and our more than $110 million annual payroll"

Right - and the opponents recognize those jobs, but like you said - you don't want anyone to look further than that to recognize the devastation that your type of business can do.

No taxpayer funding in Niagara Falls?

The Third Street and Falls Street improvements were mostly publicly funded. The Casino itself is in a former tax supported public building that was handed over to the Casino. The Conference Center? Publicly funded. Wintergarden and its removal? Public. Community College and the former mall? Tax supported.

Even with all of this public money, the Senecas have still not delivered on revitalizing downtown NF. After 10 years there is little if any private spinoff investment.

Finally, did someone say that Buffalo is a bigger tourist draw than the Falls? With all due respect, are you out of your mind?

Let me ask a question to the anti-casino people. What do you realistically hope for?

The casino is there now.
I don't think it's going away, it's a matter of how they expand. Wouldn't it be better to work with the Senecas to get the most out of the deal?

A study written by a professor in the Hospitality Industry who thinks he is an economist? His position was probably created at NU because of the Seneca Casino.

Make online gambling legal and collect taxes. There already doing it in Europe.

"While customer incentives do exist, a large percentage of our patrons pay cash for such items as show tickets, hotel stays and meals"

I'd like to know how much of that cash is not spent at the casino and actually goes back into the community and not to the largely tax-exempt Seneca Nation.

I'm thinking close to zero.

Its already happening and growing. Also collecting the taxes would give a boost to new economic activity and create jobs for programmers, network engineers, customer service personnel, accountants, etc. These new workers will then have more disposable income to spend in other sectors and help create jobs in other industries.. Where losing tax base to the Indians. Stop giving away land in the city at taxpayer expense. Just make it legal.

"two to three jobs per slot machine"

I wish we had that many jobs to lose.

Anyone that thinks that a Casino in downtown Buffalo is a bad thing doesn't realize that there isn't anything to destroy......

Go DT on a Monday night when there is no sabres game and try to find more than three restaurants that aren't in a hotel that are open.

The tax revenue and jobs will only help Buffalo...... There is nothing to lose....

Plus that area sucks. Build it and they will come....

i love all the anti casino people still whining because they're incapable of closing the current casino which is DESTROYING that once beautiful area full of parking lots and the projects. a smaller scale than originally planned casino working with canal side is a win. end the lottery/hamburg/otb and scratch offs which are all over every city sidewalk on ride/walk down every single day before you bring up the loss of money because of a casino.

also all of the employees of the casino pay taxes and seneca gaming is a local company

I am missing something that I hope someone can spell out for me. What I am reading from some of the more well respected BRO contributors is:

- Casinos are bad for Buffalo.

- Bass Pro is bad for Bffalo.

- New townhouses for the poor are bad for Buffalo.

- New homes that are similar to suburban homes are bad for Buffalo.

- The new development where KFC once stood is bad for Buffalo.

- Demolishing old grain elevators is bad for Buffalo.

- Parking lots are bad for Buffalo.

- A new hotel on Main street doesn't fit in Buffalo.

So what, besides new loft projects, is good for Buffalo?