The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe offered leaders in Massachusetts a compromise casino plan, Chairman Cedric Cromwell said.

The tribe would first open a commercial casino through a bill approved by the legislature. When land-into-trust issues were resolved, the casino would become an Indian gaming facility and the tribe would share revenues with the state under a Class III gaming compact.

"When we introduced a hybrid-model, it was good teamwork, it was good collaboration," Cromwell told The Cape Cod Times.

But a bill introduced in the Massachusetts Senate [Summary | Full Text] goes in the opposite direction. It forces the tribe to comply with all state laws, waive its rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and agree to a compact that would effectively impose a tax on its revenues.

"They want us to waive all of our sovereign rights and pay more money than everyone else," Cromwell told the Times. "The poor Indian tribe is getting it stuck to us again."

Get the Story:
Tribe threatens to bypass state, ‘destroy’ rivals (The Boston Herald 6/22)
Mashpee Wampanoag leaders blast casino plan (The Cape Cod Times 6/22)

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