"Last month, the state House of Representatives approved creation of two resort-style casinos in Massachusetts, one of which is thought to be slated for the SouthCoast area. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has expressed an interest in building a casino in Fall River, on the acreage already set aside for the biopark. Flanagan has made no secret of his desire to bring casino gambling to Fall River, viewing it as an economic engine that will create jobs for everyday Fall Riverites. He confirmed progress on the biopark construction has been delayed while the city discusses casino development.

Casino-wise, Fall River would indeed seem to have a leg up on competing towns, if it has available land. The tribe is backed by the initial investors in Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, and is “way ahead of any potential developer regarding a destination casino,” Flanagan said. “I hope to have an announcement in the next two weeks.”

That may require some delicate maneuvering, which thus far has not been Flanagan’s strong suit. UMass officials are none too pleased with the delay, acknowledged state Sen. Joan Menard, who is also a casino proponent and has been meeting with Flanagan and UMass officials. “We asked if they would be willing to look at realigning where the building would be. They didn’t say yes,” Menard said."

Get the Story:
OUR VIEW: Fiscal future on the table (The Fall River Herald News 5/11)

Also Today:
Rodrigues wants biopark progress; not 'angry yet' about casino plan (The Fall River Herald News 5/11)
Casino could trump BioPark (The Fall River Herald News 5/10)