The members of New York’s Shinnecock Indian Nation have voted to revive the tribe’s pursuit of a casino on Long Island.
By large majorities, tribal members approved two resolutions to get the ball rolling again after years of inaction on the matter. The first resolution calls for the drafting of a gaming ordinance for approval by the National Indian Gaming Commission. The second authorizes tribal leaders to begin talks with prospective development partners, a process apparently under way as the resolution specifically mentions an entity known as Tri-State Partners, operated by billionaire developer Jack Morris, a principal investor in the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.
Bryan Polite, chairman of the Shinnecock’s trustees, emphasized, however, that plans are in the “very, very early stages.”
The Shinnecock’s casino ambitions date back 10 years when the tribe received federal recognition, a prerequisite for pursuing a land-in-trust agreement with the state if the intended location is outside a tribe’s reservation.
The tribe originally partnered with Gateway Casino Resorts, which funded the recognition process. The partners then explored sites at Belmont Park and Nassau Coliseum. Nothing came of either plan and the Shinnecocks’ relationship with Gateway ultimately dissolved.
The Seminoles own the Hard Rock International brand, meaning a partnership with them could position the Shinnecocks for pursuit of a commercial casino license rather than a tribal-state compact overseen by the NIGC under federal laws governing Indian gaming.
In a 2013 referendum, New York voters approved up to seven commercial casinos. Four have opened upstate, and three more can be developed in or around New York City starting in 2023.
