Mashpee Wampanoags formally request casino negotiations

The Mashpee Wampanoags Wednesday afternoon formally requested negotiations with Massachusetts Governor Patrick regarding the regulatory structure for a casino the tribe wants to build in Taunton.

Massachusetts law authorizes three full-scale casinos and one slots parlor, with one casino authorized for each of three regions: Greater Boston, Western Massachusetts and Southeastern Massachusetts. The law gives the tribe an edge in the latter region.

The compact will set forth the regulatory structure for the tribe’s development and operation of a destination resort casino.

In a letter to Patrick, Mashpee Chairman Cedric Cromwell asserts that the tribe has satisfied the conditions for gaming compact negotiation.The letter comes days after a rival Wampanoag tribe, the Gay Head-Aquinnah, entered the state’s casino sweepstakes.

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