Despite being rebuffed by the governor and at the polls, Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe doesn't think it's out of the casino game in Massachusetts.

The tribe could proceed with a Class II gaming facility on its reservation in Martha's Vineyard. Or it could follow the land-into-trust process and open a Class II facility elsewhere.

But for now, a Class III gaming compact appears to be out of the question. Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais said the terms of a deal that Gov. Deval Patrick (D) negotiated with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe would not be acceptable to her people.

"Although the Aquinnah tribe congratulates its Mashpee cousins for reaching this threshold, it is unfortunate that the compact appears to wring unjust and burdensome concessions from the Mashpee that are highly unlikely to pass muster under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act," Andrews-Maltais told The Martha's Vineyard Times.

Andrews-Maltais said the high revenue sharing rate in the Mashpee compact -- 21.5 percent of gross gaming revenues -- appears to go against the intent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Get the Story:
Governor's Mashpee casino deal cuts out Gay Head tribe (The Martha's Vineyard Times 7/18)

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