On Friday evening in Albany, an explosive rumor began circulating about a secretive gaming compact struck between the Seneca Nation and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration.
Two days earlier, the Nation and Hochul’s office had struck a deal on the broad outlines of a new, 20-year agreement.
The details of the deal were kept secret. Yet the legislative session in Albany was also ending – and the Legislature was facing pressure to pass an eleventh-hour bill preauthorizing the Hochul administration to finalize the agreement, despite the details being unknown.
On Friday, the State Senate had passed the authorizing bill by a 62-1 vote. But around 7 p.m., the powerful state Hotel and Gaming Trades Council heard that the agreement would allow a new, Seneca-owned casino to be built in downtown Rochester.
