Shinnecock Indian Nation Plans to Build Casino on Long Island

New York will be getting a new casino.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Wednesday announced plans for a casino to be built on its territory on the eastern end of Long Island. It will be called Shinnecock Casino Hamptons, with construction set to begin this summer, according to a news release.

The Shinnecock Council of Trustees shared in the release a schedule for building the Class II Gaming facility, as well as an overview of the amenities the facility will offer. The Shinnecock Nation received approval last summer from the National Indian Gaming Commission to operate a Class II casino on its Reservation in Southampton.

“As we have seen with members of Tribal Nations, casinos provide an opportunity to lift our members from adversity,” the Shinnecock Council of Trustees said in the news release. “Our ancestral lands were taken from us many years ago and New York State has refused to meet with us regarding stolen land claims that were filed over many decades. We have tried to resolve these issues over the last decade by proposing to find more suitable locations on Long Island, but were rebuffed. We have waited long enough and have decided to proceed here on our Territory.”

The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe of historically Algonquian-speaking Native Americans based at the eastern end of Long Island. This tribe is headquartered in Suffolk County, on the southeastern shore.

In the 2019 fiscal year, more than 500 tribal casinos around the United States had a combined gross gaming revenue of $34.6 billion, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Tri State Partners Working with Tribe

The trustees confirmed the Shinnecock association with Tri State Partners to assist with construction and operation of the casino, the release said. Games will include a variety of casino games, as well as Class II video terminals. The Shinnecock Nation and Tri State are in discussions with restaurant providers is also exploring options within the casino for entertainment.

“Over the past several years we have witnessed the suffering of the Shinnecock Nation and also seen the opportunity to lift their people from the poverty they currently live in,” Tri State Partner and Managing Member Jack Morris said in the release. “This will be a property Long Island residents will enjoy visiting, while enabling the Shinnecock Nation to take advantage of opportunities other members of Native American nations have harnessed.

“We are starting with the casino, but we are also looking at multiple options for additional land acquisitions off territory, potentially including developing waterfront properties and hotels, which the eastern end of Long Island is lacking.”

Some upstate New York tribal casinos offer sports betting. According to the American Gaming Association, there are 16 total tribal casinos in New York.

The Southhampton area is best known for Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, where for the fifth time in its history dating back to 1892, it hosted the 117th U.S. Open Championship in June 2018.

Brooks Koepka won his second straight U.S. Open title, shooting a final round 68 for 1-over-par 281, to defeat Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke.