The Seneca Nation has been hard at work trying to expand their casino operations. They had been working on building a casino in Buffalo, but on Friday their focus shifted to the Catskills.

A deal was signed with Sullivan County by the Seneca Nation on Friday, a week after it had been agreed to. The deal will allow the Senecas to move forward with their plans of bringing anew casino to the Catskills.

The next step for the Senecas will be to meet with Governor Patterson’s office in order to secure all of the approvals that are necessary to move forward with the project. They also must receive Congressional approval to place the land for the casino into restricted fee status.

“This is just the next step in expanding casino gambling in the state of New York,” said observer Jack Hines, “with all of the expansion that has been taking place, it is not unrealistic to believe that the state will surpass Atlantic City in the future when it comes to casino revenue as a whole.”

Sullivan County made out good in the deal that was signed on Friday. They will receive $20 million for four years after the casino is built. They also will be paid $15.5 million in the two years while the casino is being built.