Seneca Gaming Sets Reopening Dates

Cover Image

Niagara Falls, NY (WBEN) After three months of closure because of COVID19 concerns, the Seneca casinos will reopen.

Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong says Seneca Gaming Corporation will reopen Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino on Thursday, June 18. Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino will reopen the following week on Thursday, June 25. Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino will then reopen on Thursday, July 2. Seneca Gaming & Entertainment will reopen the Nation’s Class II gaming properties in Irving, Salamanca and Cuba on Thursday, June 18. This comes after all gaming operations were suspended March 16 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“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,” says Armstrong. “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.”

Armstrong says all of the facilities will open at reduced capacity, with strict protocols in place to protect the health and safety of guests and workers. 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. 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.Seneca Gaming Corporation will reopen Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino on Thursday, June 18. Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino will reopen the following week on Thursday, June 25. Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino will then reopen on Thursday, July 2. Seneca Gaming & Entertainment will reopen the Nation’s Class II gaming properties in Irving, Salamanca and Cuba on Thursday, June 18.

Armstrong says the reopening will bring a boost to the area's economy. “The Seneca Nation’s economic role extends far beyond just our territories,” President Armstrong added. “We are unique in that, as a government, we inhabit an important and impactful business and economic position locally, regionally and statewide. Our business enterprises directly employ thousands of people throughout Western New York, many of whom are non-Senecas, and impact thousands more through the hundreds of millions of dollars we spend 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.”