Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe still looking to open a bingo hall

Friday, January 18, 2013  

The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts still wants to open a high-stakes bingo hall on its reservation amid simmering tensions with the local government.

Two of the three selectmen in the town of Aquinnah are tribal members. But the town recently argued in federal court that the tribe can't engage in gaming on its reservation.

“We currently hold the majority of votes on the town board of selectmen but yet, they have voted against the tribe’s rights on a regular basis. There have been no initiatives to benefit the tribe," Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais wrote in the tribe's January newsletter, The Martha's Vineyard Times reported.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court in 2004 ruled that the tribe must comply with state and local laws after waiving its sovereign immunity in a land claim settlement. The tribe claims the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act supersedes the land claim.

Get the Story:
Tensions Build Between Town And Tribe Over Casino Plans (The Martha's Vineyard Gazette 1/18)

Judge holds hearing in gaming rights lawsuit in Massachusetts (12/18)