Oneida Indian Nation’s record

Slot machines on the gaming floor at the Oneida Indian Nation's Point Place Casino in Bridgeport. The Oneidas paid $85 million from its slot machine revenues to state and county governments in 2022. Elizabeth Doran photoElizabeth Doran

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.)

The 2013 agreement resolved other issues between the nation and the state beyond gaming, including land claims, law enforcement and taxes. Gaming had begun in Oneida territory in 1993, with the opening of the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, Oneida County. But there were no provisions for gaming revenue payments at that time.

Meanwhile, the Oneida Indian Nation has embarked on some ambitious capital investments in the past year, mostly involving projects not strictly related to gaming. (See details below). That led to a $64 million increase in spending on contractors and other services in the region, to a total of $254 million in 2022. That was a 34% bump in vendor spending from the previous year, the nation reported.

In Onondaga County, the nation's slot machine revenue payments are used to pay off the bonds issued to build the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater on Onondaga Lake, which opened in 2015.

The amount needed to cover the principal and interest payments on the Amp each year is about $2.7 million, but the Oneida payments to Onondaga County came to $4.4 million in 2021 and almost $4.5 million in 2022. Any money above the amount needed for the bonds goes into a reserve fund to cover potential shortfalls in the future, said Justin Sayles, spokesman for County Executive Ryan McMahon.

Despite the dip in 2020, the slot revenues have rebounded well, said Joel Barkin, the nation's vice president for communications. The increase from 2021 to 2022 was about 6%.

"The revenues speak for themselves," Barkin said, noting that the Oneidas’ gaming revenues have improved since Covid and have withstood the increased competition from the launch of four non-Indian nation casinos Upstate starting in 2016.

Here's the year-by-year total paid to all ten counties and state:

2014: $40.8 million

2015: $53.1 million

2016: $61.9 million

2017: $59.8 million

2018: $65.4 million’

2019: $69.9

2020: $60 million

2021: $79.9 million

2022: $85 million

Here's the county-by-county and state breakdown for the slot machine payments in 2022 (County allocations are based on population, except for Oneida and Madison counties, which are compensated differently because they have nation territories within their borders):

Oneida County: $23.8 million

Madison County: $3.5 million

Cayuga County: $713,000

Chenango County: $441,000

Cortland County: $438,000

Herkimer County: $562,000

Lewis County: $249,000

Onondaga County: $4.5 million

Oswego County: $1.1 million

Otsego County: $547,000

New York State General Fund: $49.3 million

Since last year, the Oneidas have completed or announced the start of some big projects, prompting the increase is spending among contractors and suppliers in Central New York. Those include:

· The Cove at Sylvan Beach, a $35 million vacation rental destination on Oneida Lake, opened in June 2022.

· The Villages at Stoney Creek, a $15 million Nation-owned housing development near Turning Stone with one- to three-bedroom apartments for employees at below-market rents, opened in June.

· The nation in September announced plans for the largest expansion at Turning Stone since it opened in 1993. The project will double the resort's convention and conference space, while also adding a new hotel, dining options and other amenities.

· The Oneidas are also working to start up a "seed to sale" marijuana business, that will include a growing and processing facility in Verona and retail shops in Oneida and Madison counties. The Oneidas’ entry into that business comes as the state rolls out the licensed legal marijuana business.

According to the Oneidas, spending on vendors providing services to the nation in 2022 was $14.7 million in Oneida County, $7.6 million in Madison County and $91.7 million in Onondaga County. That was a 71% increase from 2021, the nation said.

The Oneida Indian Nation has about 1,000 enrolled members and roughly 4,500 employees, making it one of Central New York's top employers. The nation added about 400 jobs in 2022, and its payroll was $186 million, an 11% increase from 2021.

The Oneidas are hosting a "hiring expo" to fill jobs across its businesses and properties from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at Turning Stone. Info and registration.

"As we begin our 30th year at Turning Stone, we know that reinvestment in our people and our community has been the key to our success," Ray Halbritter, the Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO, said in a statement. "The growth of our enterprises provides the opportunity to increase our economic footprint and partnerships throughout the region, and these increased investments are a testament to this fact."

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at [email protected], or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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