Hometown News: Casino Layoffs

Seneca Gaming has announced the layoff of 210 employees, blaming a worsening economy. The pink slips affect all three of the company's casinos: Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Salamanca. Seneca Gaming also called for a salary freeze for employees making over 70-thousand-dollars-a-year, suspended yearly bonuses, and is reducing salaries for senior managers and company directors. Seneca Gaming Chairman and Seneca Nation President Barry Snyder said net revenues have dropped over the last several months, both locally and throughout the gambling industry. Some of the country's biggest casinos have reported dismal earnings and announced cutbacks. The company has also suspended work on expansion projects in Buffalo and Salamanca. The company operated 65-hundred slot machines, 140 table games, 800 hotel rooms, and many other amenities as of late August.