The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has won final approval of its Class III gaming compact in the Massachusetts Legislature. The agreement will now head to Gov. Deval Patrick (D) for his signature. After that, it can be sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for review. The BIA rejected the tribe's first compact due to concerns about revenue sharing and exclusivity. The new agreement appears to address those issues by including a sliding revenue sharing scale. The compact requires the tribe to share 21 percent of revenues with the state. The rate will drop to 17 percent once another casino opens elsewhere in the state and to 15 percent if a non-Indian slot machine parlor opens in southeastern Massachusetts. The tribe won't have to share any revenues if a non-Indian casino opens in the southeastern region. That's a plausible scenario since the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has agreed to accept non-Indian bids for the region. Get the Story:
State legislature approves casino compact with Mashpee tribe (The Cape Cod Times 11/12)
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