UNION — Traditions at the Glen in the town of Union near Binghamton today announced an operating agreement with the Niagara Falls–based Seneca Gaming Corporation to assist in operating duties for the planned Traditions Resort & Casino.
Traditions is pursuing one of the four Upstate gaming licenses that New York plans to award.
Seneca Gaming Corporation operates Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls; Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel in Salamanca; and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo on behalf of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Traditions said in a news release.
Seneca Gaming is one of the “largest” private-sector employers in Western New York, Traditions said.
The company’s three casino properties employ about 4,000 workers and generate more than $100 million in annual spending with local businesses, according to the news release.
Together with its owner, the Seneca Nation of Indians, the company has invested over $1 billion to build and develop its properties.
It opened the Seneca Niagara Casino in 2002.
The Traditions partners have traveled throughout North America conducting interviews and doing their “due diligence” to select the best gaming operator for Traditions, “one that understands the importance of revitalizing and partnering with the surrounding community,” Bill Walsh, a partner in Traditions, said in the news release.
“We are pleased to announce this partnership and look forward to helping bring prosperity and growth to the Southern Tier. We have been waiting on that “wow” factor and we have finally got it! They have some of the same ideals as us with giving back to our community and hiring [and] buying local,” said Walsh.
Walsh, along with his sons Matt and Peter, has applied for a license to convert Traditions into a resort and casino.
Traditions at the Glen has proposed a $150 million dollar project that will create more than 1,100 jobs and “hundreds” of construction-related jobs. The proposed site includes the existing hotel, spa, golf course, and other amenities, Traditions said.
The three Seneca casino properties combine to attract about 15 million visitors annually, according to Traditions.
The hotel operations at Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel and Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel have each won AAA’s Four Diamond Award for the past several years, according to the news release.
The casinos have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for state and local governments over the past 12 years, it added.
Besides its operations, Seneca Gaming Corporation has also supported charitable and civic organizations across Western New York.
The potential which this project holds, from private investment and job creation to tourism and economic expansion, is “tremendous,” Cathy Walker, president and CEO, Seneca Gaming Corporation, said in the news release.
“The Walsh family and the team at Traditions have created and articulated a vision for this project and, more importantly, for this region that fits well with our management philosophy and our view for the role that gaming can play in the local economy,” said Walker.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com