Published on: December 30, 2024, 07:42h.
Last updated on: December 30, 2024, 07:42h.
A welcome center planned for Taunton will include gaming machines, as revealed by the tribe behind the project recently.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts, one of two federally recognized tribes in the state, announced plans for a welcome center on their sovereign land in Taunton. Mayor Shaunna O’Connell of the city in Southeastern Massachusetts, stated to the Taunton Daily Gazette that the tribe is considering including some form of gambling in the informative facility to be created soon.
Limited gaming will be available at the welcome center as a preview to the tribe’s long-anticipated First Light Resort & Casino, O’Connell mentioned.
In an attempt to achieve economic self-sufficiency through a casino, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has been striving for more than ten years. The tribe’s previous partner, Malaysia-based Genting Group, deserted the $1 billion project after legal disputes regarding the tribe’s acquisition of 321 acres of land in 2015 and its federal trust status.
The decision by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs to consider the Taunton land for federal trust status was contentious. Initially approved during the Obama administration, the decision was reversed under the Trump administration and then again changed under the Biden administration.
The land was officially put into trust after a federal judge in Boston in February 2023 declined to reconsider the BIA’s decision to grant sovereignty to the land.
Gaming Opportunities
The BIA dispute revolved around whether newly acquired lands by tribes recognized after 1934 could be accepted by Interior officials. Despite the Mashpee tribe claiming ancestral ties to the Pilgrims, federal recognition was only granted in 2007.
With federal recognition, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is permitted to operate Class I and II gaming on their land. This privilege stems from the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) enacted by Congress in 1988 to oversee gaming on Indian territories.
IGRA defines Class I gaming as social games with minimal prizes or traditional Indian games played during tribal ceremonies. Class II gaming includes games like bingo and electronic bingo that involve wagering money.
Tribes without Class III gaming compacts with their states, which enable slot machines and live dealer games, rely on Class II privileges under IGRA to offer electronic gaming bingo machines. Although specific details about the welcome center’s gaming offerings are not disclosed yet, O’Connell mentioned it would feature 10 gaming positions.
Future Plans
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe intends to present their welcome center concept to the Taunton City Council early next year. In addition to gaming machines, the facility is expected to showcase tribal history and promote the First Light project.
The tribe is currently conducting site cleanup to remove illegal dumping. The city has mentioned that the tribe owes $2.35 million in unpaid taxes, which were halted after Genting’s withdrawal from the resort project.