The Shinnecock Nation of New York is offering to drop its controversial plans for a casino on Long Island.

The tribe instead wants to build a $1.4 billion gaming resort at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. A last-minute proposal is being submitted today.

"New York is tired of watching all the gaming revenues going to Atlantic City and Connecticut," Fred Bess, a tribal trustee, told The New York Daily News.

The city is accepting bids for gaming operations at the track. Three private companies have expressed interest in running video lottery machines.

The tribe's partner in the project is Gateway Casino Resorts but it's not clear from news articles whether the tribe intends to operate the casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. That would mean the land has to be placed in trust.

The tribe lacks federal recognition, though a judge has ruled the Shinnecocks are a bonafide tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has yet to act on the tribe's petition for recognition. A lawsuit has been filed to force a decision.

Get the Story:
Tribe Proposes a Casino for a Queens Racetrack (The New York Times 10/15)
pwnyt
Shinnecocks aim to swap casino for Aqueduct gaming (Newsday 10/15)
Local tribe ready to roll dice on casino bid at Aqueduct (The New York Daily News 10/14)
It could be goodbye cottages & hello mansions on East End (The New York Daily News 10/14)