Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe scales back casino

Tuesday, October 20, 2009  

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has dramatically scaled back plans for a casino in the town of Middleboro, Massachusetts..

The tribe originally planed a $1 billion resort with a 40,000-square-foot casino, a 1,000-room hotel and other amenities. Chairman Cedric Cromwell said the project is now about one-third of the size.

With the national economy still recovering from the recession, "it doesn’t make sense" to build a big casino, Cromwell said at a town committee meeting, The Brockton Enterprise reported.

After gaining federal recognition in May 2007, the tribe submitted a land-into-trust application for the casino site in August 2007. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Carcieri v. Salazar, ruled that tribes that weren't "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934 can't follow the land-into-trust process.

In related news, Richard Oakley stepped down from the tribal council, The Cape Cod Times reported.

Get the Story:
Wampanoag tribe plans to scale back Middleboro casino (The Brockton Enterprise 10/20)
Oakley steps down from tribal council (The Cape Cod Times 10/20)

Also Today:
Developers say $800m set for planned Milford casino (The Boston Globe 10/20)