Opinion

Column: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe casino a risky gamble

Thursday, June 3, 2010

"“When it comes to gaming,’’ Governor Deval Patrick warned Tuesday, “take a deep breath, Fall River.’’

It’s too late for that. The first spin of a Massachusetts roulette wheel may be years away, but a casino already is messing things up in Fall River.

The Mashpee Wampanoags and their backers want to locate a resort casino in the struggling South Coast city. And like gamblers looking to make fast money, officials in Fall River have convinced themselves that a long shot is really their best bet.

So desperate are they for a share of the loot that they’ve ditched a sure route to good, permanent jobs in favor of a something not at all sure — and not necessarily good.

They struck a deal to sell the tribe 300 acres of land for a casino. But that land was already spoken for: Everybody in the region agreed it would become a biotechnology park.

The BioPark was not some distant dream. Already, $35 million in federal dollars had been dedicated for a new highway interchange to the site. And the state had promised $17 million in grants for a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth biotech research facility that was to anchor the BioPark — a project UMass was just about to put out to bid.

Now, having offered up the land for a casino, Fall River will probably lose the UMass facility. And Governor Deval Patrick has said that if the casino goes forward, the state wants its money back.

Mayor Will Flanagan of Fall River is taking this giant gamble."

Get the Story:
Yvonne Abraham: Casino bid a risky bet (The Boston Globe 6/3)