Seneca casinos to launch sports betting next month in New York

Seneca Resorts & Casinos will begin accepting sports wagering at its three Western New York casinos within the next few weeks.

As the company nears completion on sports lounges inside its three gaming properties, it was announced Monday that they are the exclusive sportsbook partner of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. A start date has yet to be determined, officials said Monday, as reported by Buffalo Business First. 

It will be based on completing construction of sports lounges in Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo and Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca. The Senecas are training personnel on handling sports betting, including a large number of newly hired Seneca Gaming employees. Also, Seneca Resorts has signed a deal with Kambi Group to help operate the sports betting platform.

Once all three lounges are open, people will be able to cast bets on professional football, hockey, basketball, soccer and other sports, according to a release from Seneca Gaming. Real time boards and betting kiosks will run on a 24/7 basis at the three casinos. Bets will only be taken inside the casino lounges, although customers can build a bet on their smartphone. The QR code will only work within the lounges, with odds determined when the bets are officially placed.

“We know Buffalo is a sports town,” said Holly Gagnon, Seneca Gaming CEO. “And, we know it is a very passionate sports town. That’s why we are bringing the lounges to the casinos.”

The opening date for each of the casinos will be determined by the ongoing construction, but most likely means the start dates will be slightly staggered. “Sportsbook will bring so much more excitement to the fans and Seneca Resorts & Casinos is thrilled to be in the epicenter of all that energy,” said Melissa Free, Seneca Gaming Corporation’s senior vice president of marketing.

Seneca Resorts is now the exclusive Buffalo Sabres sportsbook partner following the creation of the Seneca Sports Lounge inside KeyBank Center and is being named the exclusive casino partner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

“The Seneca Sports Lounge has become a popular destination for premium ticket holders at KeyBank Center this season,” said Dan Misko, Pegula Sports & Entertainment’s senior vice president of business development. “We look forward to the opening of the sports lounges at Seneca’s three properties, which will create another attraction for Bills and Sabres fans. We’re proud to continue to work together with Seneca Resorts and Casinos, the official sportsbook partner of the Buffalo Sabres.”

Gagnon said the addition of sports betting should help attract new customers to the Seneca casinos. Until the Senecas open, the closest location to making a sports bet in New York state is the del Lago casino in Waterloo between Rochester and Syracuse.

“It will be an amenity for our existing customers but may also help us bring in new customers too,” Gagnon said.