Artist's rendering of proposed First Light Resort and Casino. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is still waiting for a decision on its casino land-into-trust application. The tribe plans to build the $500 million First Light Resort and Casino in the city of Taunton. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has published a draft environmental impact statement for the project. "The tribe is encouraged at the pace things are moving along," spokesperson Paula Gates told The Cape Cod Times. The BIA originally promised a decision in spring 2013. There has been no explanation for the delay but the tribe must overcome the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar in order to win approval of the land-into-trust application. The ruling restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The Mashpees didn't gain formal recognition until May 2007. H.3702, the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act, authorized three casinos in three regions of the state. The law gives first shot in the southeastern region to a "federally recognized tribe." The law, however, gives the Massachusetts Gaming Commission the ability to open the region to non-Indian bidders if the tribe hasn't made enough progress. Initial applications have been submitted by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut and K.G. Urban Enterprises, a non-Indian developer. The commission might extend the deadline for completed applications until spring 2015, The Cape Cod Times reported. Neither the Pequots nor KG have reached host agreements for their proposed casinos, a required part of the process. Get the Story:
Casino bid deadline might be moved again (The Cape Cod Times 6/13)
Gaming commision may extend license deadline another 6 months (AP 6/13)
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