Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

 located in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and was built to compete with Casino Niagara

Casino Niagara

Casino Niagara is a commercial casino located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1996, on the site of the former Maple Leaf Village amusement park. It was originally an interim casino while the new Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort was constructed. Due to its prime location beside...

 and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort

The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada opened publicly on June 10, 2004. This $1 billion complex with a belle époque theme overlooks the Horseshoe Falls and is one of the most prominent features of the Niagara skyline...

 in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. It was formerly the Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center was an indoor multi-purpose venue, in Niagara Falls, New York, with a capacity of 10,000 people.The venue was built as part of an urban renewal project in the city. It actually was built in the center of a main thoroughfare, Falls Street, and blocked...

.

The casino floor has an area of 147000 sq ft (13,656.7 m²) with 99 gaming tables and 4,200 slot machine

Slot machine

A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...

s.

It is the largest hotel in New York outside of Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

.

History

A 604 room 26-story hotel tower with a view of the Niagara Falls skyline, was completed in March 2006. Ernest Sternberg

Ernest Sternberg

Ernest Sternberg is an American scholar of urban planning who specializes in disaster preparedness. He is a professor in the school of Architecture at the University of Buffalo....

, a professor of urban planning at the University of Buffalo, had reservations about the extent of economic benefits to the city.

Expansion

In February 2008, The Seneca Gaming Corp. announced the expansion of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel Property. It will add more hotel rooms, and other amentities.

Other Properties

• Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel - This facility in Salamanca, New York features a casino, spa, six restaurants and a new hotel in 2007.

• Fallsville Splash Park
  Fallsville Splash Park
  Fallsville Splash Park was a water park located in Niagara Falls, New York. It was adjacent to the former Niagara Falls Convention Center.-History:...
  
   located next to the Seneca Niagara Casino was condemned by the State of New York and transferred to the Seneca Gaming Corporation. It has been demolished for Phase 2 of expansion.

• Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino - In December 2006 construction has begun for the Seneca's newest casino in downtown Buffalo, New York
  Buffalo, New York
  Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
  
  .

Adjacent properties owned by Seneca Gaming Corp.

Adjacent properties owned by the Seneca Gaming Corporation are not located on Seneca territory owned by the sovereign Indian nation, therefore it is technically illegal to put slot machines or gamble, let alone the proposed casino. The Splash Park Property where Phase 2 of expansion is to take place is also located on non-sovereign land.

The former Convention Center is located on sovereign land, and the casino itself is operated by Gaming Corporation.

Taxing of non-sovereign adjacent properties owned by the Gaming Corporation

The surrounding area adjacent to the Seneca Niagara Casino has been the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed by attorney John Bartolomei in October 2010 on behalf of Fallsite LLC and residents who are angry over a 4% tax hike to be passed in 2011. The Seneca Niagara Casino is located on sovereign land owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians. However, the land adjacent to the casino, including parking garages adjacent to Niagara St., the site of a former Pizza Hut on the corner of Niagara St. and John B. Daly Blvd., the Holiday Inn property on the corner of 3rd Street and Duggar Drive, the former Niagara Aerospace Museum in between 3rd and 4th Streets and Niagara Street and Wendel Way, the former E. Dent Lackey Plaza (now a parking lot) in between Wendel Way, Duggar Drive, 3rd Street and 4th Street, former private homes on 5th and 6th Streets, and the Splash Park Property on the corner of Falls Street and John B. Daly Blvd, is owned by the Seneca Gaming Corporation. The Seneca Gaming Corporation is non-sovereign and therefore taxable, but is left off of the city tax rolls. If taxed, the corporation would be the largest payer of taxes in the City of Niagara Falls.

External links

• Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel

• JCJ ARCHITECTURE ~ Architects for SNC & SAC