Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) doesn't think Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe has a right to engage in gaming but he wants to talk about it anyway.
Patrick said he tried to contact Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais to talk about gaming. But she's been busy with the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C., where she was a presenter to the White House Council on Native American Affairs on Wednesday afternoon. “I want her to know we want to work with them but we’re going to have to resolve this question, and I think the merits are with us," Patrick told The Boston Herald. The question is whether the tribe can engage in gaming in light of the Massachusetts Indian Land Claims Settlement Act. The law, which was enacted by Congress in 1987, subjects the tribe to state law. The National Indian Gaming Commission, however, has determined that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 confirmed the tribe's jurisdiction over its recently acquired lands. That appears to clear the path for a Class II facility on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The tribe also remains interested in a casino on the mainland. But Patrick refused to entertain the idea and has told the tribe to seek a commercial gaming license under state law. “All our legal analysis has been that they need a license,” Patrick told the Herald. Get the Story: