Seneca Niagara Begins $40 Million Casino Beautification, Still No Payments to Cash-Strapped City

The Seneca country has announced it’s going to begin work on a $40 million makeover of the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in the City of Niagara Falls, since it continues to withhold revenue-share payments to the State of nyc and communities that are local.

The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino has announced its big revamp, but meanwhile the standoff between your Seneca Nation and their state of New York shows no signs of progress, and the communities that host the tribe’s casinos are bearing the responsibility.

The Senecas stopped making payments over a year ago. Under the terms of a 2002 lightweight, they were anticipated to contribute around $100 million per year to hawaii, a sum that had been then distributed between Albany, Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca, in trade for the tribe’s exclusive right offer casino gaming in those cities.

However the tribe stopped making payments over a year ago. The 2002 contract expired in 2016, but it ended up being stipulated within that it would roll over for another seven years, provided there were no objections from either party.

‘Defying Law and Logic’

But the Senecas argue that there was no certain clause within the agreement that said revenue-share payments would continue beyond 2016.

The state has stated there are ‘no legitimacy to these claims,’ as well as the tribe’s assertion that it can ‘unilaterally end paying the state contribution while continuing to enjoy the benefits regarding the compact has no basis in the compact, law or logic.’

Late year that is last New York State declared the Seneca Nation become in violation of its compact and delivered a demand for legitimately binding arbitration, which, months later, has yet getting underway.

The Senecas are organizing ‘a flowing, landscaped entry boulevard’ to the Niagara Resort & Casino with ‘extensive landscaping, sculpture features. in the meantime’

‘We have very long seen our Niagara Territory, and this vantage point of Seneca Niagara in particular, as standing during the entry way to Niagara Falls,’ said Seneca Nation President Todd Gates said in a declaration. ‘As many more people check out our resort and discover and rediscover the wonders of Niagara, we want to make an immediate impression on them.’

Niagara Falls into Disrepair

But the actual City of Niagara Falls a community of around 50,000 people that battles to compete for an economic level with its more popular Canadian namesake is scrambling to balance its budget without the amount of money it once relied on as a host community. The city has high crime rates, while around 60 percent of residents accept government assistance.

Mayor Paul Dyster recently announced Niagara Falls was scaling back jobs such as road improvements through lack of funds and wouldn’t rule out taxes that are raising.

Meanwhile, city councilman Chris Voccio told radio that is local WBFO this week that while the Senecas landscape their entry boulevard, the council will have to create ‘some hard decisions’ this budget season.

Kansas Horse Racing Revival Bill Dies in the Senate

A legislative push aimed at rebuilding Kansas’ defunct horse and dog racing industries has fallen at the first fence.

The Kansas Senate in Topeka missed an opportunity to ‘right the incorrect,’ in the terms of Senator Bruce Givens, whoever bill sought to bring back the state’s extinct horseracing industry. (Image: Kansas Public Radio)

SB 427 desired to cut tax rates for racetracks, which supporters argue have been so punitive that they will have killed off the once-thriving thoroughbred and quarter horseracing industry within the state.

But the bill was narrowly defeated into the Senate by 20-17, as opposing lawmakers argued the measure would break agreements that are existing the state and its four casino operators.

Despite its racing heritage, the quantity of racetracks operating today in Kansas is precisely zero. Its famous venues like Eureka Downs and Anthony Downs are shuttered, or into the case that is latter demolished. Horse breeders and owners are forced to go to other states to compete in races.

Righting Wrongs

SB 427 would have slashed the 40 percent slice the racetracks paid to your state when they had been functional to 22 percent, in line with the amount presently paid by Kansas’ four ‘state owned’ gambling enterprises.

‘It creates the ability to, just what I like to phone, right the incorrect. The incorrect was when the Legislature raised the tax share from 22 percent to 40 percent,’ the bill’s sponsor, Senator Bruce Givens (R-Eldorado), told the Senate, including that he believed the bill would create 4,000 jobs.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley (D-Topeka) consented. She said it would revive a business that ‘really needs our assistance.’

‘We need to provide the racetracks a second chance,’ she said.

‘Masochistic’ Litigation

But opponents cited a 2016 viewpoint from Kansas AG Derek Schmidt warning that the state’s casinos would file suit against likely the state for breach of contract and need the reimbursement of millions in revenue-share re payments since their establishment in 2008.

There’s a breach of contract. There’s no relevant question those contracts had been meant to be punitive,’ said Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover. ‘It’s almost like we now have a masochistic desire for protracted litigation. I don’t understand what we’re doing.’

The Kansas casino sector is nominally ‘state-owned’ however the fact that the casinos would sue the state to protect their interests illustrates the reality which they are anything but.

The bill attempted to handle this presssing issue by allowing racetrack owners to submit a letter of credit promising to settle the casinos. Racetrack owners would then be refunded by the state, which will return 1 / 2 of the racetracks’ revenue-share payments until they were quits.

However for Senator Vicki Schmidt (R-Topeka), this was too convoluted and the danger too high. She demanded to learn why the Senate would gamble on undermining a casino sector that had paid $513 million to state coffers over the previous decade.

Nevada Casinos Top $1 Billion in March, Sportsbooks Set Basketball Handle Record

Nevada gambling enterprises collectively won a lot more than $1 billion in March, which marks the industry’s 3rd month that is consecutive the celebratory threshold.

Fans once again stuffed the Westgate’s International Theater for March Madness, as sportsbooks around the continuing state helped Nevada casinos again make an impression on $1 billion. (Image: Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Statewide, gross gaming revenue (GGR) totaled $1.024 billion, a 3.4 percent premium on March 2017. Casinos are now 2.85 percent ahead of where they were this time year that is last the first 90 days in 2018.

The Strip ended up being chiefly http://1xbets-giris.top/ responsible for the revenue surge, as GGR came in 9.1 percent higher at nearly $574 million. Baccarat was the force that is driving as casinos won $114.8 million on the table game at a 14 percent win rate.

Penny slots accounted for the lion’s share of GGR statewide, with the machines winning $283.3 million. Baccarat was next at $117.2 million, then blackjack ($95.2 million), craps and sports operations (both at $34.1 million), and roulette ($29 million).

Nevada Gaming Control Board Senior Research Analyst Michael Lawton pointed down that January, February, and March’s $1 billion hauls are the time that is first 2008 that Silver State gambling enterprises have actually surpassed the 10-digit plateau in three consecutive months.

March 2018 benefited from A saturday that is extra compared the thirty days in 2017. While gaming was strong, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reported that visitor volume totaled 3.75 million, a nearly one percent drop.

Sportsbooks Prosper

Along with the healthier March gaming report includes revenues from sportsbook operations. And month that is last oddsmakers scored a slam dunk on baseball.

A record $436.5 million was bet on the sport, the most coming on university’s NCAA March Madness. Sportsbooks reported a rate that is win of percent, meaning hoops generated more than $38 million for the home.

While the $436.5 million handle is really a new high for baseball, oddsmakers actually won eight percent less compared to March 2017 once they won over $41.2 million for a 9.6 % win rate.

March 2018 was the seventh straight March that posted a new record handle for baseball, because the popularity of gambling on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament continues to increase.

Viva Strip

Perhaps the news that is best in the release is the fact that Strip revenues have actually reversed course after four consecutive monthly declines after the October 1 massacre. Strong baccarat play implies that visitors from Asian countries are time for Las Vegas.

GGR along the Strip reduced from through January october. a primary financial concern was determining the length of time Asian visitors, that are critical towards the main drag, would stay away.

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora said in October that ‘people in Asia have become respectful of the deaths,’ and added regarding a mourning period, ‘I’ve heard so it’s sometimes a period of three, four months.’

Baccarat, the most popular game among travelers from Asian nations, saw win quantities fall in each of the four months, the largest coming in December when the table game’s revenues retracted 30 percent.

But Frissora being told the mourning period would last up to four months seems accurate, as baccarat play has posted big gains in February and March (correspondingly 83 per cent and 115 %). To date, GGR on the Strip is up 3.3 percent year.