Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan discusses casino plans at a press conference. To the right is Scott Butera, the CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino. Photo from Twitter

Casino Stalker | Connecticut

Mashantucket Tribe pitches $750M casino in Massachusetts

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut is proposing a $750 million commercial casino in southeastern Massachusetts.

The tribe originally sought a casino in the eastern part of the state. But after losing a local referendum, the tribe turned to Fall River, where the project has earned the support of the city's mayor despite lacking an actual site.

“God works in mysterious ways, and He directed us here,” Scott Butera, the CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino, said at at press conference, The Boston Globe reported.

Artist's rendering of proposed First Light Resort and Casino. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

H.3702, the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act, reserved the southeastern casino for a "federally recognized tribe." The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is pursuing the $500 million First Light Resort and Casino in Taunton, about 17 miles from Fall River.

The Mashpees have yet to win federal approval of the land-into-trust application for the casino site. Due to the uncertainty, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission opened the region to non-Indian bidders.

K.G. Urban Enterprises, a non-Indian firm, filed an application for the region. The Mashpees have opposed the company's attempts to secure the license but the tribe has yet to comment publicly about the Pequot announcement.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs allowed the Mashpee's Class III gaming compact to go into effect earlier this month. The tribe won't be required to share any revenues with the state if another casino opens in the southeastern region.