Buffalo, N.Y. (Investigativepost.org) - As reopenings across the country begin, the impacts of COVID-19 continue to threaten the economies of Native American governments, including the Seneca Nation here in Western New York.
Many tribes rely on casinos and other Native-owned businesses to fund services and capital improvements, but how soon those enterprises bounce back is uncertain. Of particular concern are casinos and their related bars, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, as those industries across the county are expected to recover slowly from the impacts of COVID-19.
That imperils the economic pillars of the Seneca Nation of Indians, three casinos run by the Seneca Nation Gaming Corp., a tribally-chartered corporation. The nation, a sovereign government with 7,800 enrolled members, or tribal citizens, owns five reservations in Western New York, including the acreage for its Buffalo and Niagara Falls casinos. Its Cattaraugus County territory includes the City of Salamanca, which the nation describes as “only city in the world entirely on an Indian reservation.”
According to nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr., the gaming facilities make up 71 percent of his government’s funding. Armstrong, in a prepared statement, called the pandemic an “unprecedented” situation.
“Economically, the impact has undoubtedly been very severe,” he said.
Read the complete reporting from our non-profit investigative partner investigativepost.org and hear reporter Phil Gambini discuss this issue on WBEN Friday at 8:20am.