Massachusetts is home to the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe but it appears only one will be able to join the Indian gaming industry under a bill unveiled earlier this week.
The bill authorizes the governor to negotiate a Class III gaming compact with "a federally recognized Indian tribe." And it only authorizes one casino in southeastern Massachusetts, where both tribes are based. The Mashpees gained federal recognition in 2007 and have been looking for gaming sites. But the tribe faces questions about its ability to acquire land as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The Aquinnah gained federal recognition in 1987. Its land claim settlement act bars gaming on its reservation in Martha's Vineyard but it's an open question whether the tribe could acquire land elsewhere for a casino. Get the Story: