Court Deals Blow To Tribal Casino In MassachusettsFederal Judge: Government Shouldn't Have Acquired Land For Tribe |
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Despite construction already being underway, a tribal casino in Taunton, Mass. was put into question by a federal judge last week.
According to The Boston Globe, the Mashpee Wampanoag’s planned $1 billion casino was targeted by a lawsuit from local property owners. A judge on Thursday ended up agreeing with their arguement that the federal government had no authority to acquire land in trust for the Mashpee Wampanoag because the tribe was not federally recognized at the time of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The tribe wasn’t federally recognized until 2007.
“Our people have been challenged throughout history and we are still here, living on the land of our ancestors,” Cedric Cromwell, the Mashpee’s tribal council chairman, said in a statement. “I have no doubt we will prevail.” According to him, ancestors have lived there for the past 12,000 years.
The US Department of Interior will likely appeal the decision on behalf of the tribe, the report said. State gaming regulators will also review the decision.
The tribe’s casino in Taunton is slated to have roughly 3,000 slot machines, 150 gaming tables and a 40-table poker room. The entire resort had a completion date for 2022.
Earlier this year, regulators rejected a plan for a casino, also located in the state’s southeastern region, that would have competed against the Taunton casino.
The denied Brockton casino meant that the Mashpee Wampanoag, which negotiated a compact with the state, would pay 17 percent of its gaming win to the state. If the competing casino had been allowed, the tribe would have paid nothing to Massachusetts.
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