Compact for Taunton casino is signed

BOSTON, MA (WPRI) - Governor Deval Patrick signed a compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe for a casino in Taunton and an official from one of Rhode Island’s gaming venues said they are geared up for the competition from the location that is about 29 miles away.

Massachusetts would receive 21.5 percent in gaming revenue and Patrick said that will be one of the best takes for any state where there is a casino run by an Indian tribe. The democrat added that the revenue is only one benefit from the casino.

“I think that we are all of us anxious to get these facilities going so that we get the jobs from the construction and also the jobs that come from them being up in business,” Patrick said.

Mashpee Wamponaug chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a written statment that the ‘destination resort casino’ will help the tribe achieve ‘economic self-sufficiency’.  

Twin River spokesperson Patti Doyle said the Taunton casino is not a surprise to officials at the Lincoln slot parlor. She added that while the venue is ready for the competition, a key part of that will be to add table games. Rhode Island voters will decide in November whether or not to allow the additional games at the state’s two gaming venues.

There are still several hurdles before anyone drops a coin in a Mashpee casino. First on the list, state lawmakers must approve the compact by July 31.

The land for proposed site also must be put into a trust with the federal government before ground can be broken.

“And I'm going to be working with the tribe to try to get prompt resolution in the Department of The Interior and the Bureau on both the compact and the land interest,” Patrick said.

Also, a developer of a proposed casino in New Bedford claims the Mashpee Wampanoags are ineligible for the Taunton land due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Officials with KG Urban Enterprises warned it could take decades to solve that legal tangle.

Unlike Rhode Island’s gaming venues, there would be a ban on smoking inside the Taunton casino under the current agreement. The compact also gives jurisdiction over crimes in the casino to the state.