Mashpee Casino for Middleborough or New Bedford?

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe will bid for one of three casino licenses if Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal is adopted. The tribe prefers to build their casino on a 550-acre site in a rural section of Middleborough rather than in New Bedford as proposed by the Govenor. Patrick believes the New Bedford site would be an economic boost for the old whaling city and fishing port and would be a mutual benefit to a planned $1.4 billion commuter rail line connecting New Bedford and Boston.

The tribe would rather build a major gambling complex in Middleborough with 4,000 slot machines, table games, a 1,500-room hotel, golf courses, a water park, a convention center, and a 10,000-seat auditorium for sporting events and musical shows. They say there is not enough land available in New Bedford for both a casino and a resort. Middleborough offers them enough land for a facility similar to the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods resort casinos in Connecticut.

The tribe would not need a state license to build in Middleborough if they gain federal approval. As a sovereign nation, they have a federally guaranteed right to operate gambling enterprises on their reservation land. But that requires approval from the US Department of Interior to create a reservation in Middleborough, and that process that could take 18 months to five years.

Therefore, the governor is encouraging the tribe to apply for a state license in New Beford to remove uncertainties of the long federal application process and avoid delays in building their casino.

Monday Patrick proposed to the Legislature the creation of three licenses to operate resort-style casinos. State officials are estimating that each license would generate an upfront fee of $200 million to $300 million for 10 years. Under the plan, the state would also receive 27 percent of the gross gambling revenue, which state officials estimate would amount to $400 million annually.

Patrick also proposed awarding casino licenses for developments in Greater Boston and Western Massachusetts.

Four racetracks are interested in developing a casino: Wonderland Park in Revere, Raynham Park, Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, and Suffolk Downs in East Boston, a proposal Mayor Thomas M. Menino supports.

The Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe have also their expressed interests.
 

 

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