With reports this week that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration and the Seneca Nation of Indians have been working on plans for a downtown Rochester casino, one gaming official said the opening of a casino would threaten jobs at Batavia Downs.
“The latest scheme by the Senecas and some New York state government officials to place a stealth casino in the Rochester area should be a non-starter for residents, community leaders and elected officials,” said Western Regional Off-Track Betting CEO & President Henry Wojtaszek. “Many of the more than 400 jobs here at Batavia Downs would be in jeopardy if a Rochester area casino opened and the millions of dollars in revenue we send to 15 counties and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester would be drastically cut. There are already 10 gaming facilities less than 100 miles in any direction from Rochester, that’s the definition of saturation.”
