Massachusetts governor addresses Wampanoag casino bid

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) continues to support the legalization of casinos in the state but says it might be a while before the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe gets into the game.

Lawmakers have yet to pass a bill to authorize full-scale gaming. And if that happens, the tribe still needs to negotiate a Class III gaming compact and have land placed in trust for a casino.

"When it comes to gaming, what I say and have said over and over again is take a deep breath," Patrick said at at a meeting of the Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The New Bedford Standard-Times reported. "We don't have a gaming bill yet. We still have to do that, and we're working on it."

The tribe wants to open a casino in Fall River, on a 300-acre site that was slated for a biotechnology park. Patrick said both projects can co-exist.

"There is not one magic bullet for the economic development and opportunity of the SouthCoast," Patrick told reporters after the meeting, The Standard-Times reported. "It has to be multiple things."

Get the Story:
Governor cautions Fall River on casino (The New Bedford Standard-Times 6/2)
City councilors want to see casino referendum on fall ballot (The Fall River Herald News 6/2)
Fall River mayor pushes for casino, bio-park (NBC 10 6/1)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Playing the odds on Mashpee Wampanoag casino (5/28)
City approves sale of land for Mashpee Wampanoag casino (5/27)
Tribal rights an issue as Massachusetts weighs gaming bill (5/26)
Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe presents casino project to city (5/25)
Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe to present another casino plan (5/24)
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe commissions poll on new casino (5/21)
Town weighs options on Mashpee Wampanoag gaming deal (5/20)
City council members against Mashpee Wampanoag casino (5/19)
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe switches location for casino bid (5/18)
Mashpee Wampanaog Tribe announces new casino location (5/17)
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe negotiates for a new casino site (5/14)
Town presses Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe about casino bid (5/12)