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| StopTheBelmontCasino.com |
Now that factions of the Shinnecock Indian Nation voted to block approval of gaming pacts with the tribe's Detroit backers, some on the Southampton reservation are making the strongest push yet to begin class-II gaming such as bingo.
The Shinnecocks' formal efforts in gaming thus far have focused on large-scale casinos with table games such as blackjack and poker -- casinos that require a state compact and layers of federal approval. Those ambitions are still years away.
But small-scale class-II gaming efforts such as bingo halls could take place on the reservation now, one former tribal leader said. He's one of many members urging Shinnecock leaders to use the tribe's federally recognized status to reconsider low-level gaming immediately.
"It's ridiculous that we would sit and wait another three to five years for gaming to come, when we could be doing small-scale gaming now," said Lance Gumbs, a former tribal trustee who is part of a group called the Shinnecock Coalition for Answers that last week championed the vote to block pacts with Gateway Casino Resorts.
Gumbs said he envisions a simple, even temporary structure erected on the tribal Powwow grounds in the center of the reservation for a bingo parlor. "We're talking about what the church is doing down the street," he said.
But Randy King, chairman of the tribal trustees, the Shinnecock's official government, said the tribe would continue on its course for larger-scale, class-III gaming.
"The current plan is to discuss alternative locations west of the reservation in more suitable areas," he said of the tribe's plans for casinos at Belmont Park and in Yaphank, among others. "We hope to discuss all of this with the governor's office shortly."
Tribal leaders have worked out arrangements with local politicians to keep gaming west of County Road 105 near Westhampton, with the promise of political support. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) is among those party to the agreement.
"Congressman Bishop calls on the Shinnecock Nation to consult with the Southampton Town Board and other local government entities if they reach the decision as a tribe to pursue a Class II gaming facility such as a bingo hall on the reservation," said Bishop spokesman Oliver Longwell.
Eagerness to start some sort of gaming has reached such a level that the tribe was forced to issue a cease and desist letter to shop owners who attempted to open Internet gaming cafes on the reservation last month, several sources close to the tribe said.
On a higher level, the push for a tribal bingo parlor is a sign of impatience with the pace of economic progress on the cash-strapped reservation, and a push for broader participation in decision making.
On Monday night, the Shinnecock tribal council, an advisory body which has retained a private law firm to review the contracts with Gateway Casino Resorts that were voted down last week, met to discuss concerns about that vote.
Among them: that 1,100 Shinnecock members who do not live on the reservation were prevented from voting; only 36 hours' notice was given before the vote; and what the long-term implications of the vote itself were, according to a person who attended.
King said the trustees won't discuss or negotiate such internal tribal matters in the media.
Beverly Jensen, a spokeswoman for the tribe, said she believed last week's vote and the need for future discussions were part of the tribe's evolution now that federal recognition is in place.
"It's about the birth of a nation, for real," she said.
By Walt
There is no way the Shinnecock will get a casino at Belmont Park. It doesn't matter what any local officials say; only New York State can permit this to happen. Right now, Resorts World New York City, located at Aqueduct, is regulated by New York State. The agreement with them gives a 30 mile exclusivity clause. I believe Belmont Park is only a few miles from Aqueduct. Secondly, facilities like Resorts World regulated by the state give almost double the profits back to the state than any of the Native American casinos. The state is also moving to make table games legal, and the facility at Aqueduct will be one of the first ones to get table games. Looks like the Shinnecock will have to settle for a location in Suffolk County!
This group is asking for double the management fees from what they would get at other casinos. If they are like the Mohawk casino near the border with Canada, the natives won't be getting the job they expect and will have a token say in how things are run. It is evident that tribal trustees are profiting by having salaries paid to them over the past ten years, salaries for what? For selling out the interests of their tribal members for their own personal interest. These tribal leaders should be in jail! Tribal members would be smart to vote no and kill this agreement, and secondly to elect a new tribal council who has your interests at heart!
It is evident
The Shinnecock Indian Nation Thursday voted down a gaming pact with partner Gateway Casino Resorts, a rejection of a longtime backer that has already invested millions of dollars and seven years' work in the project.
"The nation has spoken, by consensus, as it has for thousands of years, and voted today not to finalize gaming agreements with Gateway Casino Resorts," tribal trustees said in a statement Thursday night after the contentious vote.
Of the 274 votes cast, 153 opposed the pact and 121 voted for it. There are some 1,400 Shinnecock members, most of whom do not live on the reservation and were not eligible to vote.
"Gateway needs to understand that they are not going to control our tribe," said Lance Gumbs, a former tribal trustee who voted against the pact.
It's unclear whether the tribe will attempt to negotiate more favorable terms or if the two groups will go their separate ways. A spokeswoman wasn't immediately available. Beverly Jensen, a tribe spokeswoman, declined any further comment.
The Detroit company has financed the tribe's federal recognition efforts in exchange for a casino partnership.
The contracts gave the right to make vital casino decisions on the tribe's behalf to a gaming authority, and stipulate tribal "noninterference" in dealings on the projects.
Only tribal members who are 21 years or older and have lived on the reservation for the past six months were eligible to vote, said Janine Tinsley-Roe, who is on the Shinnecock tribal roll but was prevented from voting because she doesn't live there. Eligible voters were said to number a few hundred members.
Opponents of the contracts feared the tribe would giving away hard-won rights to sovereign immunity and would be locked into a financial agreement they felt was too generous to Gateway. A law firm hired by the tribal council expressed reservations with elements of the non-interference contract.
Much is at stake. The Shinnecock hope to open at least two class III casinos on Long Island, one at Belmont Park, the other in Suffolk, possibly at a former Estee Lauder warehouse in Yaphank .
The agreement with Gateway stipulates the backer will help the tribe acquire the Stony Brook-Southampton campus, and gives the company a 28 percent take of monthly casino revenue.
Recently disclosed gaming documents show conceptual drawings of a casino at Belmont and on Governors Island in Upper New York Bay, though the latter plan is said to be inactive.
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Artist's Rendering: Belmont Hotel & Entertainment Entrance proposed by Gateway Casino Resorts with Shinnecock Nation |
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Artist's Rendering: Belmont Arena Plaza and Monorail proposed by Gateway Casino Resorts with Shinnecock Nation |
Long Island Democrats
Blindly Endorse CasinoNASSAU COUNTY, NY – Nassau County’s four Democratic members of the New York State Assembly today announced their support for a Shinnecock Indian Nation casino at Belmont Racetrack. Assembly Members Earlene Hooper, Harvey Weisenberg, Charles Lavine and Michelle Schimel cited jobs and economic opportunity as the driving factors and urged their colleagues in both the Senate and Assembly to join in support.
“This project will create thousands of jobs for Long Islanders and provide a huge boost to the local and state economies,” said Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper (D-Hempstead). “We need these revenues to stay here in New York, for both the state and Nassau County, so we can keep people working and create more jobs.”
Shinnecock Tribal Trustee Chairman Randy King said, “We appreciate the strong and growing support from all parts of Nassau County. A Shinnecock Nation entertainment complex will provide much needed jobs to help boost the Long Island economy, as well as created revenues for the County, the State and the Shinnecock Indian Nation, and we certainly thank Assembly Members Hooper, Weisenberg, Lavine and Schimel for their support”...
The four Assembly members announced their support on the heels of Representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Peter King joining the list of backers for the Shinnecock project. (Original Post)
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| Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy |
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| Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy |
Renderings of casino displayed for local businesses
Belmont Racetrack has played host to events as large as third-leg of the Triple Crown and as small, but still of importance, as 5K charity walk/runs. If a Detroit-based hotel/casino resort development company has its way, the corridor of Elmont and a “gateway” to the rest of Long Island, will go through a considerable change.
. Developer Michael Malik presented renderings of a preliminary plan to the Elmont Chamber of Commerce last Thursday, Oct. 20. Malik’s colleagues Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey and former Hawaii Governor John Waihee accompanied him.
left to right: Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey,
John Waihee, Michael Malik
Malik, a partner to the Shinnecock Indian Nation and financial backer for the tribe’s casino proposal, said the development has been attempting to find its stride for several months, but began to gain momentum when Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced his Economic Development and Job Creation Plan in May. Malik has been at the forefront of heading event control for the World Series, the NCAA Final Four, among others. [REALLY Mike Malik? Maybe some of the people you share office space with at Ilitch headquarters have been involved at some level but you... He'll say anything!]
Malik revealed that he and his team have been targeting the Belmont’s development for six or seven years. Furthermore, the location is a prime spot for gaming development, according to Malik.
Malik designed the first development renderings in approximately 2005. They have since changed, dramatically.
The renderings were not permitted to be photographed, which showcased a casino building with a Victorian-style red brick facade, ground-to-ceiling paneled windows and a copper-patina roof, located on the southwest side of Belmont near the Cross Island Parkway, to give customers easier access and a new Belmont Park structure with the same design.
A grand entrance with fountains and galleries showcasing the history of Belmont is also in discussion. A circled driveway would take customers to and from the casino with malls of grass.
“Nothing has been set in stone; however, it has modernized features with a historic feel,” Malik said. “We would think to put the casino off the freeway itself, so that people can come on and off. We also added in a parking deck area on the opposite side of the street.”
The drawings also included an irrigation system on the south side of the park, beyond the main track, near the border of the Village of Floral Park, which has been prone to flooding. He stressed that these drawings “are not final.”
“The irrigation system would help to resolve that flooding problem, as well as help keep the track and surrounding green dry,” Malik explained.
Malik detailed an idea to take the flood waters that have plagued Floral Park and filter them into the infield in the middle of the track to provide a “welcomed aesthetic” to the infield, while addressing the flooding issues for the village to the north.
Other ideas portrayed in the renderings were a recreational area and private parking lot on the southern end of the park; an indoor train station next to the park; and a central area for parading horses before and after meets, and showing off winning horses. The alley that horses currently take into the park is hidden, beneath the bleachers, and the winner’s circle is closer to track level, away from spectators’ view.
Malik said the horse parades would be one of the many crucial pieces to the fan/family experience.
“We want the world to focus on Belmont,” he said. “We want people who are watching the Belmont Stakes on television to want to come.”
Malik detailed a new seating area in the center of the infield. He said the height of the building could be between 12 and 15 stories.
When Elmont Chamber President Chris Rosado asked Malik whether he thought the casino development might harm nearby businesses, Malik said that, although he couldn’t definitively say for sure, he believes a casino would boost business since the casino is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs.
Malik said he hopes to sit down with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and discuss its proposal soon. Concerning negotiations, Malik would not divulge how long it would take.
“We want to get this done as soon as possible,” he said. “Hopefully within the next year we hope to be through our approvals. That’s kind of the guideline we’re in.
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| Sen. Charles Schumer |
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| Source: OpenSecrets.org |
WASHINGTON — For the past four years, the foreign companies that control the global Internet poker industry have helped bankroll an elaborate lobbying campaign here, seeking to keep the United States from shutting their American operations down.Al D’Amato is also founder and managing director of Park Strategies LLC, a lobbying firm with upwards of $3.5 million in annual revenues. A gambling affiliate (Gateway Casino Resorts) organized by Detroiters Marian Ilitch and Michael Malik to secure an opportunity to operate an Indian casino on Long Island, retained D’Amato’s firm this year.
Former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, Republican of New York, has been the public face of the effort [Poker Players Alliance, theppa.org], which has included charity poker tournaments featuring members of Congress, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to a disparate assortment of lawmakers, including Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, the majority leader.
But late last week, the United States Justice Department delivered an unexpected thunderbolt to this huge lobbying campaign when it indicted top executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, accusing them of fraud and money laundering. In doing so the government has taken on a politically powerful industry that for a while seemed like it might transform gambling around the world... (Complete Story)
