BIA publishes notice of Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe compact


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

The Class III gaming compact for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts will go into effect on Monday.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is publishing notice of the compact in the Federal Register. The agreement runs for 20 years from the date of the opening of the tribe's $500 million First Light Resort and Casino, with an option to continue for another 20 years without modifications.

"The compact between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (State) and the Mashpee Wampanoag provides for limited annual payments to the state for statewide and regional exclusivity," the forthcoming notice states.

The tribe still needs approval of its land-into-trust application for the casino site. The BIA is currently working on the environmental impact statement for the project and there's no timeline for a decision.

Forthcoming Federal Register Notice:
Indian Gaming (To Be Published February 3, 2014)

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