Mashpee tribe forges on despite potential challengers
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission's unanimous decision on Thursday to open Southeastern Massachusetts' casino license to commercial competition hasn't opened the floodgates of potential bidders — yet.
The commission doesn't expect to receive any inquiries until it puts out an actual request for applications, spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said. She said she's not sure when the commission will begin accepting applications but doesn't anticipate it will be on the panel's agenda Thursday.
Last week's vote ended the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's exclusive hold on Southeastern Massachusetts, known as Region C.
Despite Thursday's setback, Cedric Cromwell, tribal council chairman, wrote in a blog posted Saturday on the tribe's website that he plans to "redouble efforts" to win legislative support of the compact between the tribe and Gov. Deval Patrick. A special tribal council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"Despite the commission's misguided decision, we will continue to move forward in partnership with the governor and the Legislature to build our destination resort casino in Taunton," he wrote.
The compact has been sent to legislative committee, but no hearing date has been set. It also requires approval of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, but requires action at the state level first. Under the terms agreed to by Patrick and the tribe, the tribe would not pay the state any money if a commercial casino is located in the same region as the Taunton facility.
Commissioners said the tribe can continue to pursue federal approvals while the state seeks applications from commercial bidders. The board also left the door open to pulling the plug on a commercial casino bid if the tribal project proceeds before a license is issued. That possibility was sharply criticized by potential developers when the so-called "dual track" was first proposed in December.
A casino developer would have to be willing to pay the $400,000 nonrefundable application fee and begin the costly process of negotiating a host community agreement while developing detailed plans for the project. Clyde Barrow, executive director of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis, has estimated that cost at $5 million.
Barrow could not be reached for comment Monday.
KG Urban Enterprises, which seeks to build a casino on the New Bedford waterfront and pushed for the region to be opened, has no further comment on its plans, Andy Paven, a spokesman for the company, said Monday. The company is suing the state and gaming commission in federal court over the special status given to the tribe in the casino legislation. A lawyer for the company has already said opening the region would not be enough to end the lawsuit.
Brooke Scannell, a spokeswoman for Cromwell, said no decision had been made as of Monday on the tribe's next steps.
Meanwhile, a landowner in the region said he is willing to talk to potential gambling partners interested in 170 acres in Bridgewater.
Elias Patoucheas, president of the Claremont Companies, said his company is willing to talk about a possible casino project on the land in the area of routes 495 and 24 in Bridgewater.
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