SALAMANCA — The Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino will reopen July 2 as part of a phased reopening of Seneca Nation’s Western New York gaming operations.
Seneca Gaming & Entertainment will reopen the Seneca Bingo Hall and other Class II gaming sites in Irving and Cuba will open on June 18.
Seneca President Rickey Armstrong Sr., announced the reopening plans Monday for Class II and Class III gaming operations, which will begin bringing back thousands of employees “and contributing to Western New York’s economic recovery.”
The Seneca Nation is one of Western New York’s largest employers.
The Nation’s gaming operations employ approximately 4,000 workers from across the region and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in local payroll and economic activity with vendors both locally and statewide.
The Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino will be the first to open on June 18, followed a week later on June 25 at the Buffalo Creek Casino.
The Nation ordered the temporary suspension of all gaming operations on March 16 as part of the widespread response to the novel coronavirus pandemic undertaken across all Seneca territories.
“After being closed for nearly three months, we are now ready to move forward with the safe, responsible and systematic reopening of our gaming facilities,” Armstrong said. “This is a signature moment in our region’s economic recovery from the circumstances that arose as a result of this unprecedented public health crisis.”
All of the facilities will open at reduced capacity, with protocols in place to protect the health and safety of guests and workers, Armstrong said.
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino will also reopen at reduced capacity and will initially operate with a curtailed schedule. Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino and Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino will follow the same procedures upon their reopening.
Armstrong explained the Seneca Gaming & Entertainment facilities in Irving, Salamanca and Cuba, which offer video gaming machines, will also begin operations with a reduced number of available machines.
“Seneca Gaming Corporation is expected to announce operational details for the reopening process (Tuesday), including specific hours of operation, comprehensive safety measures and protocols, and information on which areas of the operations will initially reopen to guests,” Armstrong said.
He noted the Senecas’ decision to reopen will provide a “significant and much-needed boost” to the local economy.
“The Seneca Nation’s economic role extends far beyond just our territories,” added. “We are unique in that, as a government, we inhabit an important and impactful business and economic position locally, regionally and statewide.”
Besides the payroll associated with 4,000 employees, many of them non-Senecas, the Nation spends hundreds of millions with vendors , suppliers and business partners.
“Those dollars are pumped right back into the local and regional economies, in addition to the crucial support they provide to our Nation and the Seneca people,” Armstrong said.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
