The state's gambling commission has voted to allow failed applicants for casino licenses in eastern or western Massachusetts the opportunity to compete for the sole license in southeastern Massachusetts.
The motion was approved on Thursday by the panel, which had earlier voted to open the southeast region to commercial casino bids. The Mashpee Wampanaog tribe previously enjoyed exclusivity in the region while it pursued regulatory approvals for a proposed resort casino in Taunton.
Developers who submitted preliminary applications for licenses in the eastern and western regions but failed to secure host community agreements would be allowed to bid in the southeast region without having to pay a second $400,000 application fee.
The panel also discussed a tentative timetable that could award a commercial casino license in the region by the end of 2014.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
