Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe finds gaming partner

Monday, November 30, 2009  

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has found a new gaming partner and is severing ties with prior investors.

The tribe will be working with Arkana Limited, an affiliate of Kien Huat. The Malaysian-based company is part of Genting Group, which financed casinos for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut and the Seneca Nation of New York.

"We are extremely excited about this new partnership,” Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a press release. “Kien Huat and its affiliates bring the business experience and financial strength that the tribe needs to move forward aggressively with our plans for a resort-style gaming facility. This is a very positive development for our tribe and we look forward to bringing good jobs and economic development to both the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the near future."

The tribe is moving to end its relationship with South African investors Sol Kerzner and Len Wolman, who financed a casino for the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut. A new slate of tribal leaders had questioned the deal.

The tribe is also waiting on Congress to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The decision could stop the Mashpees from following the land-into-trust process because they didn't get federal recognition until May 2007.

Get the Story:
Mashpee tribe banks on new deal (The Cape Cod Times 11/30)
Wampanoag cut ties with casino investors (The Boston Globe 11/30)