Business has been good for the Oneida Indian Nation lately, especially, it seems, at the thousands of slot machines it operates at its casinos and shops.
And that’s good news for the state, Onondaga County and nine other county governments that receive annual payments from the Oneidas through a settlement reached with state and local officials in 2013.
The Oneidas provided $85 million in payments to 10 Central New York counties and the state in 2022, breaking the previous record of almost $80 million paid in 2021, nation officials reported this week. The totals have been climbing steadily since the first payments in 2014, except for a dip in the initial Covid year of 2020.
The 2013 settlement provides that the Oneidas pay 25% of their total slot machine revenues in a split among 10 counties in Central New York and the state’s general fund. In return, the Oneidas have exclusive rights to offer gaming — slots, poker, casino table games, sports betting etc. — in those counties (although its gaming properties are limited to Oneida and Madison counties.)