An Associated Press article printed in yesterday's edition of Crain's said that the federal government has formally recognized the Shinnecock Indians in Suffolk County, Long Island, a move that may open the door for the tribe to create a casino.
The announcement will be placed in the Federal Register for 30 days for public comment, after which the "recognition" is permanent.
The Shinnecocks have long sought to open a casino on their land in Southampton, L.I., but, according to the article in Crain's, "that effort was squashed because tribes without formal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs cannot operate gaming facilities."
A story by Danny Hakim in today's edition of The New York Times said that the tribe's "32-year battle for federal recognition ended with a prayer, drumming and an Algonquin victory song" after "the Obama Administration approved the tribe's petition."
The tribe's reservation in Southampton is now 800 acres but in 1703, according to the article in the Times, the "Town of Southampton trustees" bought land from the tribe for $20 and gave the tribe a 1000-year lease on 3,500 acres, which was reduced by New York State in 1859 to 800 acres in "a negotiation with the town for railroad right of way."
The tribe, local officials and the state, however, would prefer not to develop a casino on its Southampton property because of difficult traffic conditions and hope to find "another location, in New York City or its suburbs, for the casino," according to the article in The Times.
"New Yorkers account for 30 percent of the customers at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut" and more than 20 percent at the casinos in Atlantic City, the article noted, adding that "casinos in both Connecticut and New Jersey have already been hurt by an increase in gambling destinations in New York and Pennsylvania; they also face the long-delayed development of a casino, without table games, at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.
It is inexplicable why New York City officials have let Atlantic City and Las Vegas gain enormous revenues from casinos for so many decades when the myriad attractions of New York City would entice many gamblers.
The announcement will be placed in the Federal Register for 30 days for public comment, after which the "recognition" is permanent.
The Shinnecocks have long sought to open a casino on their land in Southampton, L.I., but, according to the article in Crain's, "that effort was squashed because tribes without formal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs cannot operate gaming facilities."
A story by Danny Hakim in today's edition of The New York Times said that the tribe's "32-year battle for federal recognition ended with a prayer, drumming and an Algonquin victory song" after "the Obama Administration approved the tribe's petition."
The tribe's reservation in Southampton is now 800 acres but in 1703, according to the article in the Times, the "Town of Southampton trustees" bought land from the tribe for $20 and gave the tribe a 1000-year lease on 3,500 acres, which was reduced by New York State in 1859 to 800 acres in "a negotiation with the town for railroad right of way."
The tribe, local officials and the state, however, would prefer not to develop a casino on its Southampton property because of difficult traffic conditions and hope to find "another location, in New York City or its suburbs, for the casino," according to the article in The Times.
"New Yorkers account for 30 percent of the customers at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut" and more than 20 percent at the casinos in Atlantic City, the article noted, adding that "casinos in both Connecticut and New Jersey have already been hurt by an increase in gambling destinations in New York and Pennsylvania; they also face the long-delayed development of a casino, without table games, at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.
It is inexplicable why New York City officials have let Atlantic City and Las Vegas gain enormous revenues from casinos for so many decades when the myriad attractions of New York City would entice many gamblers.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
