Reasons to Oppose the Proposed Buffalo Casino
Allen Coniglio

Casinos are UNCONSTITUTIONAL throughout NY State. Governor George Pataki has made an end run around the constitution by giving land to the various Indian nations so that, technically, the casinos will not be in NY State. The land, however, upon which the casino and its related businesses will rest, is lost to the United States forever, as it becomes part of a sovereign Indian nation. These lands will NEVER belong to the United States again although they will be located within US cities such as Buffalo.

Once done, this deal will be impossible to reverse.

The citizens of Buffalo and Erie County were never consulted on this issue and thus, have never had any say in this plan.

Federal policy allows Indian casinos to ignore all local zoning and planning. These neighborhood casinos are outside the jurisdiction of state and local government and law enforcement. They create "islands of non-jurisdiction", making it virtually impossible for communities to address the changes - and problems - casinos create. http://www.stopthecasino101.com/

Lands given to the Indian nations are not subject to US law and they will NEVER pay taxes to the cities from which they are taken. nor will they ever charge or collect state or local sales taxes.

Casinos are a drain on the local retailers and cost the area more than they return. People who go to the casinos very rarely venture out of the self contained casino site to spend their money at surrounding businesses and casino operated restaurants, hotels and other operations present unfair competition to these businesses. That is one of the reasons almost all business people in the downtown area oppose the casino.

As the areas owned by the Indian nations spread out from their original core, cities with casinos are changed forever as the casinos buy up land around them and take it off of the tax rolls to construct whatever they see fit.

Governments without real ideas for growth seek to increase revenues on the basis of greed and human weakness. This is a desperate measure by politicians without any real vision or appreciation for what Buffalo is or could be. They are trying to put this casino here because they do not believe in what Buffalo can be. They have given up on us.

In every city where casinos have been established, the area around the casinos has generally stagnated or suffered a decline. Atlantic City, NJ is the city most frequently referenced in this regard. Downtown Detroit is another city that has failed to prosper after introducing casinos. There are many more.

The Senecas have stated publicly that they expect almost all of their business to come from local, Buffalo gamblers. They have estimated a "take" of $160,000,000 in their first year alone. The amount of state sales tax lost on that amount going into the non taxable coffers of the Seneca nation would be $14,000,000. The city of Buffalo would lose at least $300,000 per year on lost property tax revenue and more as the casino operation expands to hotels, etc..

If $160,000,000 in "discretionary" spending is lost to our community, it is obvious that many "non-essential" purchases that would have taken place will no longer be made. Among these purchases will be tickets for the Bills, Sabres and Buffalo Philharmonic as well as various theater and arts groups. This is why Mayor Masiello has promised to "dedicate" one-third of the casino's payments to the city to replace revenue lost to the various arts groups. If the Bills and Sabres leave town due to declining ticket sales, will the mayor cut them in on the city's share as well? What about losses to other businesses and the reduction in jobs as their income stream is lessened?

The casino does not have a real product and does not "produce" anything except for misery, regrets and financial loss.

Very few will ever leave the casino as a winner and should they go back again after "winning", they will almost certainly lose what they had previously won as the odds never favor the gambler.

The negative impact of this casino plan is not offset by the money generated. Increased costs for social services, lost property values, police overtime, increased drugs, crime and prostitution and the negative effects on the quality of life cannot always be accurately quantified but, these losses are real nonetheless. Casino gambling will put infrastructure demands on Buffalo that will never be recovered by the meager revenue earned by the city. Traffic volume in the downtown area will be increased tremendously, necessitating more frequent road reconstruction and causing inconvenience to businesses, residents and workers who are already there.

Some will become addicted to gambling and some families will break up as a result. Many will be tempted by the lure of "easy" money and quick riches.

There is unanimous opposition to casinos by churches and religious groups locally and throughout the country. Many consider organized gambling to be immoral.

As Buffalo attempts to draw residents to its downtown area, it is unlikely that anyone will want to live next to a casino. Nearby neighborhoods will suffer as well and property values will fall as they have in other cities. Lower property values will produce lower taxes, another hidden cost of the casino.

There are more than enough casinos now. It is a short drive to Niagara Falls and to other areas where the casinos operate.

We should make an effort to bring real, income generating jobs and companies to the area. The casinos will drain money from Buffalo and Erie County and for this reason as well as others, many companies avoid building in cities where casinos are located.

A casino may, in fact, destroy Buffalo's chances of ever achieving greatness again.

Buffalo is a city with a great cultural, architectural and historical heritage. A relatively small amount of money spent to promote our heritage and history, the Erie Canal terminus, our cobblestone district and our beautiful waterfront would bring in thousands of visitors and millions of tourist dollars and further development. The casino will not add to this mix as promised by some but, will certainly detract from it. Waterfront bicycle trails, boat and bicycle rental businesses, restaurants, bars and shops along the waterfront would be a beautiful and positive addition to Buffalo and would help to make her a great destination once again. A casino is incompatible with family oriented arts and cultural tourism.

Children will grow up viewing a casino and gambling as an accepted and acceptable way of life.

Buffalo has long been known as a family friendly community and the city of good neighbors. Buffalo is a city that was built on hard work and an honest appreciation for family values. The casino is incompatible with Buffalo and what our city is.

The casino is a quick fix, designed to look good at first glance but, not justifiable or desirable when all the facts are known.

Gambling is illegal in most states for the reasons cited above.