Casino Stalker | NIGC

Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe welcomes approval of gaming

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts plans to open a Class II facility after winning approval from the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The NIGC allowed the tribe's site-specific ordinance to go into effect on October 22. The ordinance covers properties on the island of Martha's Vineyard that were taken into trust in 1998 and 1993.

Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars gaming on land acquired after 1988. But an October 25 opinion issued by the NIGC said the tribe's properties qualify for a land claim exception.

“The tribe has consistently asserted that we have the right to game on our lands in Aquinnah,” Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais said in a press release. “These approvals affirm our position. We are thrilled!”

The tribe gained federal recognition in 1987 through the BIA. That same year, Congress passed the Massachusetts Indian Land Claims Settlement Act, which authorizes the acquisition of trust land for the tribe.

The law subjects the tribe's lands to state jurisdiction. For that reason, state officials have refused to recognize the tribe's right to engage in gaming.

The Solicitor at the Interior Department, however, issued an opinion on August 23 that said the tribe continues to exercise jurisdiction over its trust lands. NIGC cited the opinion in its letter to the tribe.

Get the Story:
Aquinnah tribe says it's won federal approval for Vineyard casino (The Cape Cod Times 11/12)
Wampanoag tribe claims federal approval for community center casino (The Martha's Vineyard Times 11/12)
Tribe says it has federal approval for Martha’s Vineyard casino (The Boston Globe 11/12)
Tribe's plans for Martha's Vineyard casino stuns Senate's GOP leader (State House News Service 11/12)

Relevant Documents:
Letter to Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe (October 25, 2013)