Wednesday, February 21, 2007

A recently recognized Indian tribe in Massachusetts, USA who has expressed
the desire to build a full scale casino in the state has stirred up the
casino gambling debate yet again on Beacon Hill. Last Thursday U.S.
Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs designated the Mashpee
Wampanoag tribe as a sovereign American Indian nation. The tribe has stated
their desire to build a full casino, complete with slot machines and table
games like poker and blackjack. "The preference of the tribe would be to
agree in a compact with the state on a destination casino much like Mohegan
Sun," said tribe spokesman Scott Ferson, referring to the nearby Connecticut
casino and resort. "We would hope it wouldn't be viewed as pressure and more
of an opportunity." Though they can now build 'bingo parlors' (having
lottery and bingo games) without any additional state approval, the tribe is
aiming higher having seen the success of tribal-run Foxwoods and Mohegan
Sun. But they cannot move forward unless Massachusetts state lawmakers
decide to legalize casino gambling. Pressure to legalize casino-style
gambling has previously come from the state's four horse and dog track
owners. But last year the Massachusetts House turned down a bill to permit a
maximum of 2,000 slot machines at each track. At a minimum, recognition of
the tribe will bring more lobbyists to Beacon Hill, putting more pressure on
lawmakers to allow the tribe to build a full casino , according to Rep.
Daniel Bosley, D-North Adams, a vocal casino opponent. Bosley says that
could open gambling floodgates that the state would be hard pressed to
close. Referring to how the state lottery began as a single daily ticket,
but has since expanded to dozens of scratch tickets and Keno games, Bosley
told The Norwalk Advocate paper, "We'll have the tracks coming in saying if
you allow the Native Americans, then we want slots too. Once you open the
door, you open yourself to continuing pressure to expand. Just look at the
Lottery." The tribe owns about 200 acres on Cape Cod, but has agreed not to
build a casino there. So it first needs to acquire land in another part of
the state to build a casino, and then win recognition from the federal
government for it as a separate reservation.

"People are forgetting it's a complicated process," said Sen. Michael
Morrissey, D-Quincy, who said he supports casinos only because Massachusetts
is losing money to neighboring states with casinos like Connecticut and New
York.

Morrissey said Massachusetts could agree to license a casino, put that
license out to bid, and allow the tribe to compete with other commercial
casino operators - perhaps giving the tribe the exclusive right to bid last.

"What's to say that we couldn't force them to act like a commercial
operator," Morrissey told the Advocate. "Just because they're recognized,
doesn't mean they have the right to casinos, and if they want to, they
should be prepared to pay full freight."

Govenor Deval Patrick has publicly said he hasn't made up his mind whether
he would support casino gambling, and continues to listen to both sides. He
has said he may put together a study group to examine the issue and report
back to him.

Patrick has a $1 billion shortfall in the state budget, but has said the
budget plan he'll release at the end of the month will not include any new
gambling revenues.

In the end, Bosley said, the decision whether to give the Mashpee Wampanoag
tribe the right to build a casino comes down to a larger decision about the
wisdom of gambling, and specifically highly lucrative slot machines.

"The issue still becomes do we allow slot machines or don't we allow slot
machines," Bosley said. "As you put more gambling in your society, you're
putting less money into more profitable enterprises."

The Mashpee Wampanoag are the second Massachusetts tribe to receive federal
recognition. The first are the Wampanoag of Gay Head-Aquinnah on Martha's
Vineyard. There are more than 560 recognized tribes across the United
States.