Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe pushes back opening date of long-awaited casino

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

The logo of the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe's forthcoming gaming facility. Image: Aquinnah Cliffs Casino

The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe is being forced to delay the opening of its long-awaited casino in Massachusetts.

Two years ago, the tribe won a landmark decision confirming its right to open a Class II gaming facility on its homelands. But opponents on the island of Martha's Vineyard continue to insist they have jurisdiction over the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino.

“I wish they would just leave us alone and let us take care of our tribal people,” Naomi Carney, a council memvber and vice chair of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Gaming Corporation, told The Boston Globe. “That’s all we’re trying to do, is give our tribal members a fighting chance. . . . We were there first. Get off our backs

A hearing takes place in federal court on Friday. The case is before Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, who previously ruled against the tribe and in favor of the town of Aquinnah, which claims jurisdiction over activities at the casino site.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. In an April 2017 decision, the court held that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act applies to the reservation, superseding a land claim settlement that had subjected the tribe's lands to local and state laws.

The town of Aquinnah asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision but the justices refused to entertain their petition. As a result, the 1st Circuit precedent was affirmed.

The tribe subsequently entered into a partnership with Global Gaming Solutions, a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation. Plans call for a 10,000 square-foot facility, originally scheduled to open this summer. Carney told The Globe that an opening is expected in the fall.

Read More on the Story

Aquinnah Tribe struggles with Vineyard vision (The Boston Globe May 23, 2019)
MVC sets public hearing for casino project (The Martha's Vineyard Times May 17, 2019)
Tribe, town set for showdown in court again (The Martha's Vineyard Times May 7, 2019) $P

1st Circuit Court of Appeals Decision

Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (April 11, 2017) $P Note: Thumbnail photo of lighthouse in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, the home of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe by m01229