Only one non-Indian company appears ready to bid on a potential third commercial casino in Massachusetts.
H.3702,
the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act, reserved a casino in the southeastern part of the state for "a federally recognized tribe."
The Massachusetts Gaming
Commission, however, agreed to solicit non-Indian bids because
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has yet to clear its biggest hurdles for the casino.
With a September 30 deadline approaching, it appears K.G. Urban Enterprises will be the only bidder for the casino. The uncertainty over the tribe's proposal might be deterring other interested groups, a gaming law expert said.
The tribe has negotiated a Class III gaming compact but the state Legislature has to ratify it. The Bureau of Indian Affairs would still need to approve it.
The BIA has yet to issue a decision on the tribe's land-into-trust application, another major hurdle.
Get the Story:
Uncertainty over tribe's status deters casino investors
(The Cape Cod Times 9/24)
Legal wrangling continues in casino case
(The New Bedford Standard-Times 9/24)
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Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's casino bid (09/12)