By Associated Press
Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, NY – Tribal Council of the Seneca Nation has approved the purchase of 57 acres in Cheektowaga for a 185,000-square-foot casino.
Tribal officials said the casino could be open as early as New Year's Eve. Terms were not disclosed.
Seneca President Rickey Armstrong said the land purchase in Cheektowaga should end speculation that the Senecas may still have an eye on Buffalo as a site for a third casino.
The new casino would be next to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and is expected to initially feature about 1,800 slot machines, a couple of restaurants and entertainment space.
The venture still needs approval by the US Department of the Interior.
Seneca officials, who expressed confidence the plan will be approved, hope to complete the purchase by August.
The Cheektowaga site would be the third and final casino owned by the Senecas in western New York.
The tribe is getting ready to open a casino on reservation land in Salamanca and already runs one in Niagara Falls.