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Massachusetts tribes still trying to get into the casino game

Monday, July 20, 2015

An artist's rendering of proposed First Light Resort and Casino in Taunton, Massachusetts. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

The two federally-recognized tribes in Massachusetts are still trying to get into casino game amid delays facing commercial operators in the state.

H.3702, the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act, ushered in a new era of Class III-style gaming in 2011. Four years later, however, the only facility in operation is the Plainridge Park Casino, a non-Indian slot machine parlor that debuted last month.

“The debate over whether to legalize casinos went on for over a decade in Massachusetts, and now it’s starting to look like the implementation period is going to be just as long,” gaming expert Clyde W. Barrow told The Boston Globe.

The law authorized three casino resorts throughout the state that were expected to open in 2016. But the facilities in the western and eastern region aren't likely to open until 2018 at the earliest due to infrastructure, legal and regulatory issues.

The New England Casino Race: Tribal and commercial gaming facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The southeastern region was reserved for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. But without federal approval -- the Bureau of Indian Affairs is still reviewing the land-into-trust application for the First Light Resort and Casino -- it's not clear whether the facility will ever see the light of day.

In November 2013, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe issued a press release boasting that it would be the "first" to engage in gaming in the state. Litigation, however, is keeping that tribe from opening a Class II facility on its reservation.

Get the Story:
Plans for state's largest casinos hit by delays (The Boston Globe 7/20)

DOI Solicitor Opinion:
M-37029: The Meaning of "Under Federal Jurisdiction" for Purposes of the Indian Reorganization Act (March 12, 2014)

Federal Register Notice:
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fee-to-Trust Transfer of Property and Subsequent Development of a Resort/Hotel and Ancillary Facilities in the City of Taunton, MA and Tribal Government Facilities in the Town of Mashpee, MA by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 5, 2014)