Casino Stalker | Litigation | NIGC

State wants Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe casino case moved

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Attorneys for Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) want to keep a gaming lawsuit against the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe in state court.

Patrick sued after the tribe won federal approval to open a Class II gaming facility on its reservation on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The tribe filed a motion to have the case moved to federal court.

State attorneys are opposing the move. The tribe has until February 24 to respond, The Cape Cod Times reported.

Patrick claims the tribe gave up its right to gaming under the Massachusetts Indian Land Claims Settlement Act. The law subjects the tribe to state laws, the Massachusetts Supreme Court said in 2004.

The National Indian Gaming Commission and the Solicitor at the Interior Department, however, have confirmed the tribe's rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. IGRA became law a year after the Massachusetts Indian Land Claims Settlement Act.

Get the Story:
Aquinnah tribe weighs its options (The Cape Cod Times 2/11)

Relevant Documents:
Solicitor Letter to Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe (August 23, 2013)
NIGC Letter to Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe (October 25, 2013)
Press Release: GSB Client Aquinnah Wampanoag to be First to Game in Massachusetts (November 12, 2013)