Town waiting on Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe casino plan

Wednesday, March 31, 2010  

Leaders in Middleboro, Massachusetts, are still waiting to hear whether the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe intends to build a casino in the town.

The tribe entered into a gaming agreement with the town in 2007. But tribal leaders have apparently looked at other locations, prompting the town to ask for assurances.

The town hasn't received a response to a letter sent over a month ago, however. Tribal leaders didn't return calls to The Cape Cod Times about the issue either.

The tribe filed a land-into-trust application for 539 acres in Middleboro. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar could affect the process.

The decision restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe didn't gain formal federal recognition until May 2007.

Get the Story:
Tribe mum on casino plans for Middleboro (The Cape Cod Times 3/31)