The Bureau of Indian Affairs will host two public meetings this week on the land-into-trust for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts.

The tribe is seeking 145 acres in Taunton to use for a gaming facility. Another 170 acres in Mashpee will be used for tribal headquarters and other purposes.

The BIA's meeting in Taunton takes place Wednesday. A meeting in Mashpee will be held on Thursday.

The land-into-trust process is a big factor in the tribe's push for a casino license under H.3702, the state's gaming law. "We'll give the tribe whatever the appropriate amount of time is to get that decision made," Stephen Crosby, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said at a public meeting last week, The Cape Cod Times reported.

"We would ... let the tribe have their fair shot to get the land in trust," Crosby said.

Get the Story:
Feds coming to Taunton for casino meeting (The Taunton Gazette 6/16)
Legal dispute clouds Mass. tribal casino future (AP 6/16)
Gambling glitch (Boston Magazine 6/15)
Tribe would be given 'fair shot' to land federal approval (The Cape Cod Times 6/14)

Related Stories:
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe quiet on compact discussion for now (6/15)