Published on: December 18, 2025, 07:26h.
Updated on: December 18, 2025, 07:26h.
- First Light launched as a compact gaming venue after extensive legal challenges
- Lighthearted advertisements reveal disparity between grand aspirations and reality
- Tribe actively seeks future funding despite the Genting agreement falling through
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s protracted effort to establish a casino in Taunton, Massachusetts, has been far from straightforward. However, a recently released humorous advertisement for its new First Light gaming facility indicates that the tribe retains its sense of humor amidst challenges.
The First Light was initially envisioned as a $1 billion megaresort, to be backed by the international casino corporation Genting. Unfortunately, that plan was derailed by numerous legal and political misfortunes that nearly jeopardized the tribe’s sovereign rights. Moreover, the tribe’s former chairperson was arrested and convicted on corruption charges.
The First Light that eventually opened is located within the tribe’s Welcome Center—a simple, temporary modular space housing 250 slot machines.
This facility was originally designed as a preview of the grand First Light project and aimed to educate the public on the tribe’s heritage and developmental ambitions. Now it has become the project itself, at least for now.
‘Get Out of My Trailer!’
A new comedic ad on Facebook for First Light cleverly highlights the tribe’s predicaments. The ad depicts a man wandering into a trailer park, mistakenly believing it to be the casino.
“Is this where the slot machines are?” he inquires hopefully as he opens the door.
Cut to an older couple in bed. The woman, sporting bright pink curlers, yells, “Get out of my trailer!”
The camera returns to the bewildered gambler as a tossed slipper hits his head. He apologizes and departs, looking reflective.
“She’s feisty!” he muses, moved by the encounter.
“First Light Casino. Our trailers are better than you think,” delivers the perfect punchline.
This ad is part of a series featuring short skits that utilize humor to challenge preconceived notions about the casino.
Another segment shows a man rolling around the casino in a Zorb ball, while yet another features a couple playing slot machines in gas masks (the First Light is a smoke-free environment).
What Lies Ahead?
The current operations at First Light represent only a small fraction of what the original design proposed, which included a vast casino floor, numerous hotels, entertainment venues, and large-scale attractions—all of which remain unfulfilled.
Nonetheless, tribal leaders are open about their quest for new financing to expand the project. The long-term vision of establishing a full Class III permanent casino continues, although it will likely take a form different from the initial $1 billion plan by Genting.