By Eileen Buckley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-751117.mp3
Buffalo, NO – The Seneca Gaming Corporation has stopped construction on the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. They have also suspended construction at the Allegany Casino and Hotel.
< Seneca Gaming says the decision was in the works prior to yesterday's court ruling that calls on National Indian Gaming Commission to close the Buffalo casino.
Gaming Corporation says a challenging economic climate, greater demands on the company's available cash, and increased competition and construction costs are too blame.
Seneca Gaming Corporation chairman Barry Snyder says they have "kept a close eye on the state of the economy and the impact it has continued to have on every person and every industry across the country."
"In keeping with our financial commitments to our owner, the Seneca Nation of Indians, and with our obligations to our bondholders, we have decided that it is our responsibility to suspend our construction activities a this time," said Snyder.
Seneca Gaming Corporation had been erecting steel for both the $130 million hotel expansion at Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel in Salamanca and the $333 million permanent Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo, where the company currently operates a temporary casino. Existing operations at the two facilities will not be affected by the suspensions, nor will the operation of the company's flagship facility, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York.
Seneca Gaming Corporation spokesman Phil Pantano tells WBFO News the decision was made after careful consultation with their board of directors and the Seneca Nation Tribal Council. Pantano says it is the result of the continuing decline in the economy.
"It was a decision we eluded to two weeks ago when it made its filing with the FCC. It is a proactive and responsible decision," said Pantano.
U-S District Court Judge William Skretny upheld his July ruling Tuesday that gambling at the temporary Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino is illegal. But he is stopped short of ordering the Seneca Nation of Indians to close down their city casino. The judge is directing the National Indian Gaming Commission to close it down. But Pantano insists it has nothing to do with the judge's ruling or calls to shut down the temporary facility.
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