The Secret Deal for a Tribal Casino and Why It Imploded

For months, talks over a new casino deal between New York State and the Seneca Nation of Indians have been at an impasse, with the two sides deadlocked over the size of the state’s cut of hundreds of millions of dollars in gambling revenue, and what the tribe would get in return.

With a few precious hours left before state lawmakers were set to break for the year, that suddenly seemed set to change: Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has faced questions over her husband’s ties to commercial gambling interests, tried...