FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2016
Media Contacts: Phil Pantano Pantano & Associates Phone: 716-601-4128 E-mail: phil@pantanoPR.com
LAST STEEL BEAM SET IN PLACE FOR $40 MILLION SENECA BUFFALO CREEK CASINO EXPANSION PROJECT Two-story project to be complete in Spring 2017 BUFFALO, N.Y. – The eyes of Buffalo’s burgeoning Inner Harbor area turned skyward this afternoon, as the latest investment by the Seneca Nation and Seneca Gaming Corporation reached new heights. Nation leaders, gaming corporation officials, Mayor Byron Brown and a group of other elected officials and business leaders gathered at the Nation’s Buffalo Creek Territory to watch as construction workers set the last steel beam into place for a $40 million expansion at Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. The construction milestone comes just four months after work began on the project. “Today, we are completing an important step in the ongoing development of our gaming corporation, here on Seneca land that was reclaimed just over a decade ago,” said Seneca Nation President Maurice A. John, Sr. The two-story expansion is expected to open in the spring, and will add approximately 28,500 square feet of space on each level. The ground floor will add more than 300 additional slot machines and additional table games, as well as additional retail space, and an expansion of
the popular Buffalo Savors Grill. The highlight of the second floor of the expansion will be a new Western Door concept restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. “This is another sign of how the Seneca Nation gets things done, and how the people of Western New York get things done,” said Seneca Gaming Corporation Chairman Barry E. Snyder, Sr. “When we said we wanted to build here in Buffalo’s Inner Harbor area, people thought it wouldn’t happen. We made it happen, and now, we are making it happen once again – bigger and better than before.” Approximately 300 new jobs will be created at Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino with the expansion, bringing the property’s total work force to over 800. In addition to the casino jobs, the project will also create an estimated 440 construction jobs. “This $40 million expansion adds more important jobs to Buffalo’s growing workforce,” Mayor Brown said. “Buffalo’s reputation continues to grow nationally as a great place to do business and invest. I thank the Seneca Nation and Seneca Gaming Corporation for their confidence and commitment to Buffalo.” The expansion project is the latest evolution of the popular downtown entertainment venue, which attracts approximately 3 million guests per year. After opening in July 2007, the original casino facility was expanded to meet growing demand in both 2008 and 2010. The permanent $130 million casino opened in August 2013, and has continued to grow as one of the city’s premier destinations. With the $40 million expansion, the Seneca Nation and Seneca Gaming Corporation will have invested more than $200 million on the Nation’s nine-acre Buffalo Creek Territory. Along with the casino’s development over the past nine years, the surrounding Inner Harbor area has also become a focal point for investment, development, and tourism. “When Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino opened, it stood out, in part, for the lack of other development taking place around us,” said Audrey Oswell, chief operating officer, Seneca Gaming Corporation. “That certainly is not the case today. We are thrilled to be a part of such a dynamic phase in Buffalo’s history.”
This latest investment builds on the Seneca Nation’s impressive history of economic development and job creation in Buffalo and across Western New York. Starting with Seneca Niagara Casino in 2002, the Nation has invested more than $1 billion to construct its gaming and entertainment properties in Niagara Falls, Salamanca, and Buffalo. Beyond its gaming enterprise, Nation has further diversified its economy with investments and projects in areas including renewable energy, as well as healthcare, education and tourism initiatives on its Cattaraugus and Allegany Territories. Among its government operations and various business enterprises, the Seneca Nation now employs approximately 6,000 people. “When you think that a single entity has invested in and completed so many projects, created thousands of jobs and built numerous business partnerships in the amount of time that the Seneca Nation has, it is astonishing,” said President John. “The success of the Seneca Nation goes well beyond the Seneca people, and this milestone today celebrates much more than physical growth and economic development. It symbolizes and celebrates partnership.” About Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino is the latest attraction in the rapidly developing Cobblestone District along Buffalo, N.Y.’s Inner Harbor and is located just minutes from the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, Canada, and a half-hour from Niagara Falls. The property is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Guests can enjoy more than 800 slot machines and 20 table games, BC Café, Stixx Sports Bar, and Buffalo Savors Grill, with foods directly from some of the region’s most popular restaurants. More information is available by calling 1-8778-SENECA (1-877-873-6322) or visiting www.SenecaCasinos.com. Connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, download our mobile app and view us on YouTube. ###