What They Won't Tell You: Insights on Gateway Casino Resorts, its Detroit Organizers and Their Plans for Shinnecock Casinos

Shinnecock Reject Malik, Gateway Casino Resorts

• Votes Are Counted & Shinnecock Nation Gives Thumbs Down to Contract with Michael Malik's Gateway Casino Resorts
• Shinnecock Vote Down gaming pact with Gateway Casino Resorts, reject longtime investors Michael Malik & Marian Ilitch
• Distrust and Suspicion of Detroiter Michael Malik Cause Tribe to Reject Casino Syndicator, New Contract
• Reader Explains Why Shinnecock Won't Build a Casino at Belmont Park Race Track
• Statement by the Trustees of the Shinnecock Nation Following Thursday's Vote Denying them Authority to Contract with Detroit Casino Syndicator
• It's Carcieri not Malik that poses Bigger Problems for the Shinnecock Nation
• Shinnecock Gumbs named to Newspaper's Power List Hall of Fame
• What's Caused the Apparent Rift between Detroit Casino Syndicator Michael Malik and Shinnecock Lance Gumbs; and Who's Being Enriched by Malik?
• Shinnecock Citizens Reject Gateway Casino Agreement

Lobbying

• D.C. Lobbyists Paid $2.33 Million to Advance Shinnecock Casinos
• Shinnecock and Ilitch affiliate Gateway Casino Resorts paid $1.5 million to New York Lobbyists
• Shinnecock Casino Backers have dropped $107,500 on top-ranking NY Politicians
• Shinnecock Face New Casino Hurdles; Tribal Leader won't say if Gateway Casino Resorts (Mike Malik / Marian Ilitch) would lobby in Albany on its behalf
• Al D'Amato retained to advance Detroiters Long Island Casino Schemes is also leading fight for online gaming
• D'Amato's Online Gambling Group Bankrolled by Foreign Interests; Now he's behind Detroiter's Casino Schemes for Belmont Race Track
• Ilitch affiliate retains former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's lobbying firm to push New York Casino plans for Shinnecock

Campaign Contributions/Influence

• Detroit Gambling Promoters Trying to Buy Influence with NY Senator Schumer?
• Gateway Casinos / Shinnecock Lobbyist tied to Schumer, Rangel, Gillibrand; Campaign Funds Flow Their Direction
• Growing List of NY Politicians Rejecting $$$ from Ilitch Partner Michael Malik
• NY Governor Cuomo Latest To Reject Campaign Contributions from Ilitch Gambling Partner Michael Malik
• Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) Caught Taking More Money from Notorious Law-Breaking Detroit Casino Syndicator
• Reps McCarthy & Bishop: The Company They're Keeping Will Surely Lead to Regret
• Reps. Peter King and Carolyn McCarthy reportedly backing Ilitch / Shinnecock plan for Belmont
• Shinnecock Casino Interests Want to Influence Senators Schumer & Gillibrand, Rep. Bishop

Policy

• To Bypass Carcieri and Other Off-Reservation Casino Hurdles, Detroiters Plan Introduction of "Mandatory Acquisition Legislation" in Congress
• Candidates for Suffolk Co Exec Support Shinnecock Casino Development, With Conditions
• Shinnecock Nation Chair Testifies at Joint Senate Hearing in Albany on Gaming

Michael Malik

• Detroit Casino Syndicator Who Can't Get a Michigan Gambling License Reportedly Could Get Biggest Deal in Indian Gaming
• Michael Malik: The Latest Life & Times of a Detroit Casino Syndicator
• Controversy seems to always follow Detroit Casino Syndicator Michael Malik
• Once Again Michael Malik is at Center of Intra-Tribal Controversy; War Brews on Shinnecock Reservation over Gateway Casino Resorts Contract
• Why is Detroiter Mike Malik Dragging former Hawaii Governor Waihee around Long Island, NY?

Planning/Development

• Artist's Renderings of Detroiters' Planned Shinnecock Casino Development at Belmont Race Track
• Detroiters Marian Ilitch & Mike Malik with the Shinnecock pushing this Casino Development for New York's Belmont Park
• Detroiters, Shinnecock Planning Gambling/Entertainment Mecca on Governor's Island, NY?
• Detroit Casino Syndicators Organize Additional Gaming Affiliates in Decade Long Pursuit of CA & NY Gambling Halls
• Detroiter Malik Says He's Been Planning Belmont Race Track Casino for 6+ Years; But He Has Yet to Meet with NYRA Officials
• Shinnecock Casino Part of Nassau County Executive's Plan
• According to Term Sheet, Detroiters Would Finance Shinnecock Nation Acquisition of SUNY Stony Brook
• Shinnecock Nation Casino Timeline

Community Affairs

• Detroiters have already Seduced Elmont Chamber of Commerce into supporting their Casino Schemes
• Detroiters Pimping Belmont Casino Plans to Locals; Unsure if nearby business will be harmed
• Shinnecock will make case for casinos at Hamptons League of Women Voters

Ilitch Interests/Management

• Ilitch could get Hockey, Gambling, Entertainment Complex in NY before things materialize in Detroit
• Ilitch Taking Over Nassau County, New York? Plan includes Baseball, Hockey, Shinnecock Indian Casinos
• Shinnecock Advised to Submit Gateway Casino Resorts Agreements to NIGC for Approvals

Mayoral Reports

• Mayor: Cites Study, Warns Shinnecock Casino at Belmont Park Will Bring Significant Increases in Local Crime
• Mayor: Disappointed that Shinnecock Failed to Include Floral Park in Community Outreach for Belmont Park Casino Scheme
• Mayor: Detroiters Should Build Their Shinnecock Casino at the Nassau County "Hub" not Belmont Park
• Mayor: Don't approve Shinnecock Casino Scheme at Belmont Park at the Expense of the Surrounding Communities
• Mayor: Hofstra University Says No to a Shinnecock Casino; Mayor Tells Conflicted Hofstra President Not Near Floral Park Either
• Mayor: Shinnecocks or not: New York, NYRA Would be Wise to Include Neighbors in Planning for Future of Belmont Park

Scribd.com: Various Documents Relative to the Partnership between Detroit-based Gateway Casino Resorts and the Shinnecock Nation of Long Island, New York and their plans for casino developments including Timeline, Term Sheet, Enabling Agreement, and more.

D'Amato's Online Gambling Advocacy Group has paid his Lobbying Firm $1.73 Million

Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) is the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, an online gambling advocate group, and also founder and managing director of Park Strategies LLC, a lobbying firm with offices in New York, Washington DC, Taipei, Albany, Buffalo and Long Island.

Source: OpenSecrets.org

According to the New York Times, Poker Players Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit interest group, is funded with money from foreign online gambling companies. Federal investigators are looking into allegations that PPA is away for foreign interests to simply funnel campaign money to Members of Congress. PPA has paid D.C. lobbyists more than $15 million during the last decade.

Since 2007, Poker Player's Alliance, the nonprofit organization D'Amato serves as chairman of the Board, has paid $1.73 million to Park Strategies LLC, the lobbying firm founded by D'Amato.

Detroiters Marian Ilitch and Michael Malik have hired D'Amato to represent at least one of their gambling affiliates, Gateway Casino Resorts.

Through Gateway, the Detroiters hope to secure an opportunity to open an Indian casino nearest New York City, in partnership with the newly recognized Shinnecock Indian Nation. Their latest schemes would include developing, managing and operating a casino at the famed Belmont Race Track on Long Island.

Mrs. Ilitch owns Detroit's highly leveraged  MotorCity Casino.  Her husband Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers (MLB).  They are the co-founders of the Little Caesars pizza enterprise and owners of the Detroit Red Wings (NHL).  Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of these affiliates.

When the Michigan Gaming Control Board refused to issue a commercial gaming license to Michael Malik in 1999, he was forced from the original MotorCity Casino partnership.  For more than a dozen years, he and Marian have failed to get commercial gambling approved in Hawaii; and also failed at numerous schemes to open off-reservation Indian casinos in California, Michigan and New York.  Failing to ever obtain a Michigan gaming license, Malik also ventured into the online gambling industry but when the U.S. adopted stricter regulations, he put that on hold.

D'Amato's Online Gambling Group Bankrolled by Foreign Interests; Now he's behind Detroiter's Casino Schemes for Belmont Race Track

Foreign Money Fuels Faltering Bid to Push Online Poker
4.18.2011

By Eric Lipton

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.

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)

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.

One of D’Amato’s Park Strategies associates is Anthony Cancellieri, former Chief Deputy County Executive of Nassau County. D’Amato got his start in politics when he was appointed Public Administrator of Nassau County and from 1977-1980 he was vice chairman of the Nassau County Board of Supervisors. The Detroiters’ current scheme would include developing and operating a casino for the Shinnecock Indian Nation at Belmont Race Track in Nassau County.

D'Amato's advocacy group is also a major contributor to U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), the majority leader.  The Detroiters have failed to win support from Reid for their various Indian casino schemes across the U.S. and in some cases Reid has blocked/stopped their progress.

Al D'Amato retained to advance Detroiters Long Island Casino Schemes is also leading fight for online gaming

Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) is Chairman of the Board of the Poker Players Alliance (theppa.org).  From 2005 through 2011, Poker Players Alliance paid more than $15 million to D.C. lobbying firms who helped them advance their agenda.

Poker Players Alliance

Mission Statement

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is a non-profit membership organization comprised of online and offline poker players. Our membership consists of enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and protect the right to play poker in all its forms.

The PPA’s mission is to establish favorable laws that provide poker players with a secure, safe and regulated place to play. Through education and awareness the PPA will keep this game of skill, one of America’s oldest recreational activities, free from egregious government intervention and misguided laws.

The PPA is committed to defending the rights of poker players. On behalf of our broad membership, we will promote and protect poker through advocacy work in Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation. The Poker Players Alliance will work with key lawmakers to ensure a thoughtful and productive dialogue that represents everyone who enjoys and wants to protect the game.

But the PPA’s most powerful resource is its membership base, the players. Through our Web site, www.theppa.org, and through direct contact with our members, the Poker Players Alliance is empowering poker players and enthusiasts to deliver positive messages about the game and why it should be protected to federal, state, and local elected representatives.

D'Amato is also founder and managing director of the Park Strategies LLC lobbying firm.  That firm was retained this year by Gateway Casino Resorts, a gaming affiliate of Detroiters Marian Ilitch and Michael Malik. Gateway has the exclusive rights to develop, manage and operate Shinnecock Indian Nation casinos on Long Island (NY).

Malik, a controversial wheeler-dealer, has failed to obtain a Michigan gaming license.  As such, in 1999 he was forced out of the original partnership group that founded Detroit's MotorCity Casino.  Upon that failure, Malik sought to develop online gaming opportunities under various affiliates but given U.S. restrictions on such, has put those schemes on hold up until now.

Ilitch could get Hockey, Gambling, Entertainment Complex in NY before things materialize in Detroit

Officials eye Coloseum-Belmont Scenario

10.04.2011

By Randi Marshall

Nassau County officials are considering a scenario in which a new Nassau Coliseum could be built at Belmont Park, a move that could pair a racetrack, hockey arena and casino into a sports-entertainment center.

"This is an option and all options are on the table," said Brian Nevin, a spokesman for County Executive Edward Mangano.

Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz raised the possibility Tuesday during a meeting of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, of which he is vice chairman along with Long Island Association head Kevin Law.

Moving the arena to Belmont would free up the 77 acres of Coliseum land for a potential research and development park, or a mix of other uses, Rabinowitz said.

Any move to the Elmont site would likely require state approval, because it is on state land, he added.

"The concept of a sports arena at Belmont has been around for some time," said State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), whose district includes the Belmont site. "It lends itself to it."

Hempstead Town Board member Ed Ambrosino first raised the idea with Mangano over the summer -- and more serious discussions began after a referendum seeking to borrow public funds for a new arena failed, Ambrosino said.

Ambrosino said he has spoken with a "multinational" company interested in locating its research and development facilities on the Coliseum land. It would, he added, mesh well with Hofstra and the other academic facilities in the area.

Meanwhile, Belmont could then include the raceway, Coliseum and a casino proposed by the Shinnecock Indian Nation.

"You're talking about a massive entertainment destination," Ambrosino said.

A person close to the Shinnecock Indian Nation, who said he had not known about the idea, said the tribe would support the Coliseum within the Belmont Park location, where tribal leaders have been working for months to shore up support after abandoning an earlier plan to locate a casino at the Nassau Hub.

"We liked the idea of the Coliseum site because of the synergy it would create as an entertainment destination," said the person. "Throw in a world-class horse racing track and you really have a home run."

The New York Islanders have said they will not play at the Coliseum after their lease expires in 2015. Islanders senior vice president Michael Picker did not return calls for comment.

Mangano remains interested in finding a plan that could leave the Coliseum at the current site if a parking facility could be built, Rabinowitz said. At Belmont, officials said the existing parking could be shared with the raceway -- and would likely be sufficient.

Speaking at the council meeting Tuesday, Rabinowitz said Nassau County has not yet submitted a project to the group, but plans to by the Oct. 14 deadline.

Mangano said last week that he was planning to seek state funding for the Coliseum site, adding that a request for proposals for the land would emerge later.

Blogger's Note:  The  Shinnecock Indian Nation has an agreement with Gateway Casino Resorts (Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch) to develop and manage any casino resort project the tribe moves forward on since it received Federal Recognition.  Marian Ilitch and her husband Michael own the Detroit Red Wings (NHL) and manage Detroit's Joe Lewis Arena (Olympia Entertainment).  Marian owns Detroit's MotorCity Casino. Anticipating a more active business life in New York, their partner and agent Mike Malik bought a $5.4 million NYC penthouse in 2010.

Ilitch affiliate retains former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's lobbying firm to push New York Casino plans for Shinnecock

Gateway Casino Resorts retains
Park Strategies lobbyists

Detroiter Michael Malik and his Gateway Casino Resorts syndicate have entered into an agreement with former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato to retain his Park Strategies, LLC, lobbying firm in support of plans to build casinos on Long Island in partnership with the Shinnecock Indian Nation. D’Amato’s firm will be paid a monthly retainer of $15,000 ($180,000 annually) plus other expenses.

Gateway has been pursuing approvals for casino development with the Shinnecock tribe for nearly a decade.  This is the first time Gateway has filed New York lobbying disclosures or reported it hired lobbyists.  Gateway currently has designs on a casino site at Belmont Park near the Triple Crown Belmont race track.  That location would be in Nassau County.  The Shinnecock have a reservation in the Hamptons area of Suffolk County. Note that one of D’Amato’s Park Strategies colleagues is Anthony Cancellieri, the former Chief Deputy County Executive of Nassau County.

Since 2005, the Shinnecock Nation Gaming Authority, with financial support from Gateway (Malik, his partner Marian Ilitch and any other investors), has paid other New York state lobbyists more than $1.5 million in pursuit of casino approvals.  On average they've been paying New York lobbying firms $20,000 per month.  That suggests going forward they will be paying $35,000 - $40,000 per month doubling what they have been paying to state lobbyists.

Additionally, Gateway and the Shinnecock have paid Washington, D.C. lobbyists $2.33 million to win federal approvals needed to move forward with casino development.

In recent campaign cycles, Malik and members of Detroit’s Ilitch Family have bundled and dumped more than $117,000 into campaign war chests  benefiting a select handful (5) of New York’s top ranking politicians including Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York’s U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressmen Charlie Rangel and Tim Bishop, the latter’s Long Island district includes the Shinnecock Reservation.

NOTE: Al D'Amato is the Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (theppa.org).  A professional group of lobbyist and public affairs pros who advocate for the expansion of online gambling.  Poker Players Alliance has reported spending $15 million on D.C. lobbying to push online gambling.

See also:

• Shinnecock and Ilitch affiliate Gateway Casino Resorts paid $1.5 million to New York Lobbyists
• D.C. Lobbyists Paid $2.33 Million to Advance Shinnecock Casinos
• Shinnecock Casino Backers have dropped $117,500 on top-ranking NY Politicians
• Detroit Casino Syndicators Organize Additional Gaming Affiliates in Decade Long Pursuit of CA & NY Gambling Halls
• Scandal Continues to Plague Political and Lobbying Activities of Detroiters Bankrolling Shinnecock Casino Plans