Gambling firm plans casino with Senecas in Thompson

Indian nation has not approved project yet

By Adam Bosch

January 03, 2009

BRIDGEVILLE — Another company and another Indian tribe are chasing casino dreams in Sullivan County.

Rotate Black Gaming Inc., a Michigan-based development and management group, revealed this week its desire to build an Indian gambling casino on 63 acres it purchased last year in the Town of Thompson. The land is just off Route 17 in Bridgeville.

The company has partnered with the Seneca Nation of Indians, based near Buffalo. On Dec. 29, Rotate Black revealed elements of its plan in a report to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. It said the project would include a "hotel, enclosed pool environment, multiple restaurants, banquet facilities, food court and spa."

"My understanding is that we have a contract with the Senecas to build and run the casino," said William Thompson, a member of Rotate Black's board of directors.

But local casino watchers are skeptical of the vague plan, and the national climate for new casinos has been unfavorable since a federal decision last January stomped out 22 land-into-trust applications.

Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini said Rotate Black's land was not among the three locations approved for gambling by New York lawmakers, and he said nobody has approached him with plans.

"If they think they're coming into my town to plop down a casino and walk out without talking to anybody, well, they've got a second thought coming," Cellini said.

Thompson, of Rotate Black, said the Senecas have not approved the plan yet.

The Senecas could not be reached this week. Even if they OK a casino for the Catskills, the tribe would need state and federal approval to take the land into trust.

That process was made harder last January when Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne rejected land-into-trust applications across the country. Kempthorne said it would be detrimental for Native Americans to build gambling facilities far away from their tribal bases.

Rotate Black is a startup company based in Petoskey, Mich. Though its executives boast experience from some of the world's largest gambling companies, Rotate Black has not built or operated a casino. According to its Web site, the company has plans to build a casino in Dayton, Nev., and is trying to buy a resort in India.