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Oneidas Start Ad Campaign Against Casino Proposal

ALBANY, New York – As reported by Associated Press: "The Oneida Indian Nation has begun an expensive TV advertising campaign aimed at blocking a casino gambling deal between the state and a rival tribe.

"The Oneida ad campaign comes in the wake of an agreement announced Nov. 12 between Republican Gov. George Pataki and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma.

"Under the pact, the Seneca-Cayugas would give up their interests in a land-claim judgment against the state and in return receive permission to build a gambling casino in the Catskills.

"Six days later, Pataki announced an agreement with the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York under which the tribe was also given permission to build a casino in the Catskills and get at least 2,500 acres of land in the Finger Lakes region southeast of Rochester.

"…For a decade after signing a compact with then-Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1993, the Oneida Indian Nation largely had the casino gambling market to itself in New York with its high-volume Turning Stone casino located just off the New York state Thruway in central New York between Syracuse and Utica.

"…The virtual Oneida monopoly began to disappear in 2002 when the Seneca Nation in western New York opened a casino in Niagara Falls. The Senecas have since opened a second casino on reservation land in Salamanca south of Buffalo and are planning to open a third facility in the Buffalo area.

"…The TV ad, featuring stark images including boarded up storefronts, is not subtle.

"'New Yorkers have a history of working together. And, the Oneida Indian Nation is a New York success story, creating over 4,000 jobs and $100 million in annual payroll that goes right back to our communities,' the 30-second spot states. 'Now Governor Pataki wants to let Oklahoma tribes open casinos here and take profits back to Oklahoma, hurting New Yorkers. Call the governor. Tell him, now, more than ever, we need to do what's best for New York _ not Oklahoma.'

"….A companion full-page newspaper ad asks: 'Has George Pataki forgotten that he is the governor of New York and not Oklahoma'…"

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