Shinnecock Nation Starts Process It Hopes Will Lead To State Casino License - 27 East

Shinnecock Nation Starts Process It Hopes Will Lead To State Casino License

icon 1 Photo
Randy King

Randy King

authorStephen J. Kotz on Dec 22, 2021

The Shinnecock Nation earlier this month began a process with New York State that tribal leaders hope will land the tribe a seat at the negotiating table for one of three downstate licenses that the state expects to award in the near future for Las Vegas-style casinos with high-stakes gambling.

In the meantime, though, the tribe will continue to press ahead with plans unveiled in February to construct, on its territory just outside Southampton Village, what is called a Class II casino, which would have a bingo parlor, 1,000 video-lottery terminals and 30 Texas Hold ’em poker tables.

On Tuesday, Shinnecock Tribal Chairman Bryan Polite and Vice Chairman Randy King declined to provide specifics of the report that was submitted to the state, citing their desire to allow Governor Kathy Hochul’s staff time to review the submission. They said the tribe responded to a series of questions from the state that basically asked it to outline its case for being considered for one of the three licenses, or a full-scale gaming compact.

King said the governor’s request for information had its roots in the decision of former Governor Andrew Cuomo to pursue the issuance of licenses for state casinos more than a decade ago. Despite that policy, the tribe had been regularly ignored by the Cuomo administration, both men said, citing, as an example, the state’s decision to grant a gaming license to Jake’s 58 Hotel and Casino in Islandia.

Both King and Polite said they were hopeful the governor’s decision to move forward with the process marked a possible thawing in relations between the tribe and Albany.

“All politics is local,” King said, adding that “the tribe has been historically shut out of negotiating a gaming contract” by the state.

Polite laid the problem squarely at the feet of Cuomo. “He was aggressive toward Indian territory even when he was AG,” Polite said, referring to the former governor’s previous role as state attorney general. “He never operated in good faith.”

Of the new governor, Polite said “she seems focused on getting a lot of these things across the finish line that took Cuomo forever to get done.”

King said the state was seeking information from both parties that are interested in pursuing gaming facilities and those that would be affected by the state’s decision of where to place them. The tribe is considered an interested party because it obviously wants to develop a high-stakes casino. It is considered an affected party because as a sovereign nation it has a vested interest in protecting its territory from encroachment by other groups that may want to pursue gambling operations on Long Island, he added.

King said now is the time for local politicians who have said they supported the tribe’s effort to provide for its people to weigh in. They should be asking, he said, “How do we address the Shinnecock? How do we move the needle?”

Just because it is seeking to negotiate a deal with the state doesn’t mean that the tribe will not press forward with plans to build a 76,000-square-foot casino on their home territory. Because it is federally recognized, the tribe does not need the permission of New York State — or Southampton Town, for that matter — to move forward with plans for the Class II facility on its own land. It does, however, require federal approval.

The U.S. National Indian Gaming Commission has already approved the Shinnecock’s tribal gaming ordinance, a framework of rules overseeing a casino operation, but it is still reviewing an environmental impact statement.

When it announced plans to build a casino on its territory earlier this year, the tribe projected groundbreaking would take place sometime in 2021 with a 2022 completion date, but Polite said COVID and other factors had led to delays. “I’m getting out of the prediction game,” he said. “The wheels of the federal government turn slowly.”

You May Also Like:

Affordable Housing, Traffic and Sewer Fixes Go Hand in Hand, Southampton Panel Says at Express Sessions Event

On the surface, creating a sewer district, providing more affordable and workforce housing, and easing ... 16 Oct 2025 by Cailin Riley

Hampton Bays Girls Soccer Honors Eight Outgoing Seniors With a Win; Farrell Scores Hat Trick

Senior Night is always better with a win, so that’s exactly what the Hampton Bays ... 15 Oct 2025 by Drew Budd

Southhampton Police Reports for the Week of October 16

NOYAC — A Denise Street resident told Southampton Town Police that someone had withdrawn $2,250 from her Dime Bank checking account without her permission. She told police she had an interaction with someone online that she thought was a Dime employee, which could have been a fraudster. WESTHAMPTON — An Amazon delivery driver was taken to the hospital after being bitten several times by a dog at an Ent Avenue home in Westhampton on October 6. The owner of the property told police the dog did not belong to him and that he had tied it to a post while ... by Staff Writer

Time To Grow

The community and Southampton Town officials have been optimistic about the Riverside redevelopment plan for years. But residents of Flanders and Riverside are right to be concerned that its potential to transform the area into a vibrant business center has the potential to backfire and create monstrous residential density in a hamlet that needs growth but not necessarily growth in population. A presentation last week in front of the Town Board should go a long way to ease some of those concerns. The consultants formulating the plan for the hamlet center’s growth promised stakeholders that the amount of residential density ... by Editorial Board

Commodity, Not Community

Last week’s Express Sessions event in Southampton Village, part of a five-part series called “Local Matters” — upcoming events will turn to Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Hampton Bays and Westhampton Beach — was largely dominated by a trio of interconnected issues: traffic, most significantly, but also affordable housing and the need for septic solutions. As it turns out, the three are so intertwined that you simply can’t discuss them individually, and no “solution” will slay this three-headed dragon alone. Still, there was a great deal to take away from this first conversation, and it impacts the entire South Fork, because ... by Editorial Board

A Day To Share

The three-day weekend just past is generally known as Columbus Day weekend, but in recent years the holiday has an alternate identity, Indigenous Peoples’ Day. More than four decades after the idea was first suggested in 1977 at a United Nations conference, former President Joe Biden issued a proclamation in 2021, making it a federal holiday alongside Columbus Day. President Donald Trump countered that proclamation with one of his own last week, restoring Columbus Day as the lone federal holiday, bringing it “back from the ashes,” in his estimation. This matters only symbolically, except for the federal holiday designation — ... by Editorial Board

Southampton Chief Defends Decision To Purchase New Armored Vehicle for Town Police

Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan defended his department’s request for the town to purchase ... by Michael Wright

Three Westhampton Beach Doubles Teams Finish Top 6 in Division IV

Three Westhampton Beach doubles teams are headed to the Suffolk County tennis tournament this weekend, ... by Desirée Keegan

Pierson Boys and Girls Run Well in Losses to Bayport-Blue Point

Last week’s tri-meet against Bayport-Blue Point and Southold marked the beginning of a new era ... by Casey Finelli

Whalers Take First Game Over Bees in New Boys Soccer Rivalry

For years they played together. Now they play against one another. For several years, Pierson ... by Drew Budd