Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe aims to open casino in the summer

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

An Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe boundary marker in Massachusetts. Photo: John Pittman

Details remain scarce about the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe and its long-awaited casino in Massachusetts.

A local official recently met with Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais to discuss the project, The Vineyard Gazette reported. But other than being told that the casino would be open in the summer of 2019, there was little new information about the forthcoming facility.

“This is the first time we have sat down and talked. It was a very good meeting," Jim Newman, the local official said on Tuesday, The Gazette reported. "Nothing has been signed or anything else. Rather, just discussion at this point. But it opened the way for us to start having a good dialogue.”

The tribe previously announced that it is working with Global Gaming Solutions, a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation. Plans call for a $12 million Class II facility on trust land in the town of Aquinnah, The Gazette reported.

The tribe is limited to Class II games like bingo and electronic forms of bingo. The Chickasaws were a pioneer in that industry before gaining approval to offer Class III games like slot machines and card games.

Class III games are legal in Massachusetts. But the state has so far refused to negotiate with the tribe.

The tribe had to go to court to confirm its right to engage in gaming on the reservation, which is located on the island of Martha's Vineyard.

Read More on the Story

Tribe's Casino Plans Stay Mostly Under Wraps (The Vineyard Gazette December 12, 2018) $P

1st Circuit Court of Appeals Decision

Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (April 11, 2017)