As soon as that sports betting was legalized in the US, some significant leagues jumped to the opportunity to partner with some of the leading names in the industry. From the start of this journey, the NBA and NFL were at the front of the pack. Recently the partnership between Sportsradar and the NFL was extended, which resulted in individual teams now also entering into either new relationship with betting partners or continuing existing businesses for the upcoming season. The latest NFL team doing so was the Buffalo Bills, who came into a gambling sponsorship with the tribal-owned Seneca Nation.
Seneca Nation – Tribal Owned
Seneca Nation uses Seneca Resort and Casino as the official sports betting way for the Buffalo Bills. They have three separate locations which are located in the westside of New York. The areas of these three sites made them the Bills preferred choice due to the fact that those keen on placing bets on the Bills and isn’t located within the city, won’t have to travel far to be able to put their wagers, since New York is one of the few states which still don’t prohibit mobile sports betting.
Seneca Nation is a tribal-owned group making the Buffalo Bills now another team, with the Green Bay Packers, which are sponsored by Oneida Casino, who are tribally sponsored. Last year has also seen the Dallas Cowboys and Chickasaw Nation partnering up. This is a trend which other teams can be expected to follow too.
Seneca Nation’s Dispute with the State
The biggest challenge which Seneca Nation is currently facing is their financial dispute with the New York state. This dispute had its origin in 2016 when the gambling combat was automatically renewed between the state and Seneca Nation. This agreement stated that 25% of all revenue generated through slot machines by Seneca Nation should be paid to the country. Seneca Nation kept in line with this provision within the agreement until renewal and then they stopped paying.
The tribe leaders were convinced that this provision didn’t apply to the renewed agreement. This resulted in an estimated amount of over $220 million in revenue to be withheld from the state as well as the local community. The matter escalated over time into a situation where the New York state has refused to do necessary repairs to a piece of the Interstate 90, which is situated in the close vicinity of the casino belonging to the tribe.
The next step which might be taken by the state to force payment of this money from Seneca Nation is to deny them access to offering sports betting. However, NFL season is about to start, and it would be most unlikely that the new sponsor to the Buffalo Bills would let this opportunity slip through their fingers. It is expected that the matter between the state of New York and the tribal leaders of Seneca Nation will finally be resolved to remain in their position as gambling sponsor to this NFL team.
