Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Monday signed a formal casino pact with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.
The agreement, negotiated by the Patrick administration and ratified by the legislature gives the tribe exclusive rights to develop a resort casino in southeastern Massachusetts. But before any construction can start, the tribe must get the 142 acres of land it hopes to develop put into trust by the federal government, according to casino industry expert Clyde Barrow of U-Mass Dartmouth.
The compact calls for the Mashpee to return 21.5 percent of future gaming revenues to Massachusetts. It’s the highest figure every negotiated between a state and a Native American casino. The tribe will pay the host city of Taunton at least $8 million a year.
