From the Daily News:The Shinnecock Indians and their super-rich partners have spent more than $1 million to lobby state and federal lawmakers to let them build a "world-class" casino on Long Island - possibly at Belmont Park racetrack.
The impoverished Southampton, L.I., tribe doesn't have the money for the project, but their backers and development partners, Gateway Casino Resorts, has plenty to invest.
Gateway's principals are Marion Illitch who, with her husband, owns the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings, and Little Caesar's national pizza chain, and wealthy gambling czar Mike Malik.
Gateway's only stated business purpose is the Shinnecock casino enterprise, and Malik has made significant contributions to politicians who could turn the plan into reality.
The casino needs the approval of the governor, the Legislature and Congress.
The partners have hired Mercury Public Affairs, whose star lobbyist is Rodney Capel, a former top official in the state Democratic Party. Capel has also worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Charles Rangel, and Assemblyman Herman (Denny) Farrell.
Discussions on the project, some as recent as two weeks ago, have been held with Gov. Paterson, major state leaders, Rangel, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Schumer's chief of staff, Martin Brennan, said Capel, whose firm has been paid more than $200,000.
Tribal leader Fred Bess said, "We're looking to build a world-class facility" which would include a full complement of table games like blackjack and poker, plus slot machines, a big hotel and Vegas-style entertainment.
A casino would be a billion-dollar jackpot for the 1,066-member tribe whose desolate reservation is near Southampton's luxurious mansions.
20 comments:
Why Belmont? It does not have the parking nor land to build a casino there. What's wrong with South Hampton? The tribe has land there, it's their tradition base and have long sold gasoline, cigarettes and liquore there? Oh the town will give you a hard time building on their site, right - zoning?
Yeah, so move it to Belmont Raceway we are push-overs! I suggest you buy Roosevelt Field Mall, tear that down and build your casino in the heart of Nassau County!
Can't the Natives find another way to make money? Why are they soiling their reputation with gambling?
And why Belmont? Take Aqueduct, please.
Yeah, good luck with that. I think some of the residents of Bellerose, Floral Park amd Elmont will have one or two things to say about the prospect of 24 hour traffic, gambling, drugs and prostitution in their backyards.
It's time to end this so-called "native" American scamming. These Johnny-come-lately "natives" were continental interlopers (via the Bering Strait land bridge) who viciously and ruthlessly savagely murdered and displaced the original Solutrean cultured European settlers (via the Great Atlantic Ice Bridge) who populated the continent first 15-17,000 years ago.
Liberals. Time to shuck off your misplaced guilt.
Send the Shinnecocks to the Rockaways and build their casinos there. Years ago people wanted to build casinos there, but it never happened. The Rockaways could use a boost to their economy. There are nothing but housing projects on valuable waterfront property. Imagine the revenue to New York? Forget Belmont and Aqueduct. Rockaway is close to Kennedy Airport too and highways.
How about opening up a posh casino at a restored RKO Keith's Flushing Theater?
The cost of rehabilitation would be easily amortized by the money brought in.
Vaudeville Ghost said: "How about opening up a posh casino at a restored RKO Keith's Flushing Theater?"
How about a knuckle sandwich instead?!
I love Native Americans and their culture truly - could they PLEEEEESE though step into the 21st century?
They live like the Amish or the Hasidics, etc. i.e. they have chosen to segregate themselves . . . . Native
Americans as a group are the LEAST EDUCATED - very few go on to college nevermind graduate. . . .
They don't HAVE to live the way they do!
"I love Native Americans and their culture truly - could they PLEEEEESE though step into the 21st century?
They live like the Amish or the Hasidics, etc. i.e. they have chosen to segregate themselves . . . . Native
Americans as a group are the LEAST EDUCATED - very few go on to college nevermind graduate. . . .
They don't HAVE to live the way they do!"
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What aspects of their culture do you love? Aztec human sacrifice? Comanche war parties? Mohawk scalping? Monotonous drum beating? Shamans and rattles?
georgetheignoramus-
Are you still peddling that Solutrean nonsense? I figured by now you would have taken an actual science course that would open your eyes to the fallacies of pseudoscience.
Misplaced guilt? Try misplaced facts!!
STAY IN THE HAMPTONS!!!!!
is it possible that Mandingo and his tribe will find a human bone in the Belmont turf ?
If and when Mandingo finds that bone, it might be of a person from the Pyrenees area of France and Spain from the Ice Age Solutrean culture of 15-17,000 years ago. A person who migrated to these shores via the Atlantic Ice Bridge. The bone, an ancient EUROPEAN remnant. Unfortunately, the Beringians will probably hire lawyers to have that bone removed from scientific study as was done with the Kennewick man in the Pacific Northwest.
"...they have chosen to segregate themselves..."
Especially now: "A casino would be a billion dollar jackpot for the 1,066 member tribe."
I'd sure like to get in on this racket.
Hey, I thought the Shinnecrocks lived by the bottleneck to the Hamptons on Route 27. Isn't that where the spirits of their ancestors reside? So how come they're eyeballing Belmont, miles and miles from the Ancient Ones?
Our Great Founding Fathers knew very well what type of animals they were!
WORD for WORD Right out of our sacred Declaration of Independence!
"He (KING George III...Not King George the Atheist) has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."
I am really hoping these plans don't go through. The community really needs to come together to fight this.
Hi
I think we should to come out to help native americans .As casino would be a billion dollar jackpot for the 1,066 member tribe.
Yea its great we are having a casino built close by... but in the meantime while we wait 5-10 years before this casino is even finish. Why don't they build a poker room on the reservation now..? It would all be legal right?
Why can't the Shinnecocks build their casino along the water on Fire Island. There are many beaches and no buildings around. All empty land. Gee' I wonder why Donald Trump didn't think of that? This is just a thought! They could build beautiful hotels along the water just like Atlantic City.
Take the Shinnecock casino Project upstate to the CATSKILLS. Forget about Long Island and Forget about Queens, there is just to much traffic. The CATSKILLS is the best answer to this problem.
The Native Americans were here long before white man. The white man came to the New World and killed the Native Americans, raped their women, stole their property and put the Native Americans on reservations where they continue to live today and preserve their culture. It's time to pay the Native Americans back for destoying their way of life. That's why they are allowed to open casinos and sell cigarettes. It's the least the white man can do to help them out of poverty.
SHINNECOCK CASINO IN THE CATSKILLS!!!
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