New York Tribes Prepare for Online Casinos and Poker

A prominent New York tribal gaming group believes online casino and poker are coming soon to the Empire State. The Seneca Nation owns and operates three casino resorts, in Niagara Falls, Salamanca, and Buffalo. The COO of Seneca Gaming Corporation, Kimberlee Dunlop, said legalization is on the way. During a panel discussion, Dunlop detailed how online gaming could complement the current live gaming at the properties.

With online sports betting legal, she said the casinos’ retail sportsbooks now serve more as entertainment venues and sports bars than betting operations. In a similar vein, brick-and-mortar casinos will complement the tribe’s online gaming operations, Dunlop said. The tribe is also seeking to enhance the overall casino experience with major renovation and expansion projects at the three properties.

Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D) introduced a bill this year that would legalize online gaming and poker. If New York did add online poker, the state of almost 20 million people could be a major addition to the country’s Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement shared liquidity compact. Maine became the latest state to legalize online gaming and poker in January.