Massachusetts gamblers may soon be getting a new casino.
In late March, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reached a new revenue-sharing agreement with the city of Taunton. The agreement offered plans for an even bigger property than the group’s current “welcome center” mini-casino.
The welcome center venue opened at the start of the year and is home to 50 slot machines, but as part of the agreement with the city, the Mashpee Wampanoag can build a larger casino.
“Over the coming months, we are thrilled to announce we will be working with the city to develop our phased plan for the future First Light Resort and Casino,” tribal council chair Brian Weeden told the Taunton Daily Gazette last December. “We are working towards presenting these plans to the public in early 2025.”
Tax Deals Reached
The new agreement allows Taunton, about 40 miles south of Boston, to collect $8 million annually in tax revenue on the current property. However, those payments will be delayed while the tribe seeks financing for the larger casino.
The city will still collect 2.05% of the temporary casino’s net slot revenue. Halfway through the year, the city and tribe will review the memorandum of agreement to see where the tribe is headed in securing the casino’s financing.
“Prior to June 30, 2025, the parties will jointly review the status of this MOA, the temporary facility, and any further interim agreements or circumstances concerning the gaming-related facilities at the site,” the agreement notes.
The tribe acquired 321 acres of land from the US Department of the Interior in 2015. Taunton approved the Mashpee Wampanoag removing vacant buildings on the land for a potential casino in exchange for property tax payments.
Those weren’t made, and the tribe now owes the city $2.4 million. That payment is included in any financing for the new project and will be paid to the city by the end of June.
In 2022, the former Chairman of the tribe was convicted on two counts of accepting bribes as an agent of an Indian tribal government, three counts of extortion under color of official right, and one count of conspiring to commit extortion. These charges were in connection with the development of First Light Casino.
Former Chairman Cedric Cromwell accepted three bribes from the owner of a Rhode Island architecture firm that wanted to have rights on the construction of the property.
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