PLAYING IT FORWARD

Enduring values meet future forward technology at Seneca Gaming Corporation

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The Seneca are the largest of six Native American nations which comprise the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy, a democratic government that predates the United States Constitution.

Historically, the Seneca occupied territory throughout the Finger Lakes area in Central New York, and in the Genesee Valley in Western New York, living in longhouses on the riversides. The villages were well fortified with wooden stake fences, just one of many industrious undertakings.

Today, the Seneca Nation has a total enrolled population of over 8,500 citizens. The Seneca Nation supports its own people and benefits surrounding communities with a variety of cultural, educational, and economic efforts.

Our modern story begins in 2002, when the Seneca Nation of Indians (the Nation) was granted the exclusive right to build and operate the first stateside Class III gaming casinos in New York. Class III or “casino-style” gaming includes slot machines, blackjack, craps, roulette, and other table games typically associated with traditional casinos.

Despite having only 100 days from concept to the grand opening, the Nation was able to reconfigure an outdated Convention Center in Niagara Falls – walking distance to the one of the Seven Wonders of the World – into a casino.

“It was pretty impressive,” Brenda Dysinger, MS, SPHR told Reboot. “Many people thought what the Seneca Nation was planning to do was impossible, but, more than two decades later, here we are. It all started with that dramatic transformation.”

The culture at Seneca Gaming Corporation (SGC) is rooted in the Seneca Nation culture. The culture is defined by Seneca values:

• Caring for One Another

• Working and Winning Together

• Giving a Voice to Everyone

• Securing our Future for seven generations