The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe has raised objections about the number and type of gambling machines allowed at the Plainridge Park Casino and has asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate whether the kind of machines used violates the 2011 state casino law.
The objection comes only six weeks before the Plainridge facility is set to open and offer legal Las Vegas-styled gambling for the first time in Massachusetts history.
State law allows only 1,250 slot machines at the Plainridge casino, but the tribe is objecting that the operator plans to open with machines that allow 1,500 people to gamble at any one time.The state Gaming Commission in 2014 ruled that so long as the number of machines remained 1,250 at Plainridge, the operator could include about two dozen machines that allow up to five people to gamble at those machines at the same time. That ruling pushed the number of gamblers at one time up to 1,500.The Mashpee Wampanoag is seeking approval for a casino in Taunton, which would make it a direct competitor for gamblers with Plainridge, located less than 20 miles from the tribe’s proposed site. Continue reading it below Brockton voters decide on proposed resort casino Voters narrowly approved a $650 million casino, clearing the way for its developers to compete for the state’s third and final casino license.The tribe also objects to those machines that allow gamblers to play electronic blackjack. The tribe says in a letter to the state attorney general’s office that state casino law restricts the Plainridge facility to slot machines, not table games. Casino blackjack games usually feature live dealers, and whether an electronic version of blackjack is a table game is open to interpretation.
A representative of the tribe declined to comment on Thursday.
The state’s Gaming Commission chairman, Stephen Crosby, said on Thursday that the commission would cooperate with the attorney general’s office.
“I want to say we made this ruling only after a long public process, including an open comment period,” Crosby said. “And to my recollection, there were no objections at that time.”
Crosby said the commission’s ruling in 2014 on the number of allowable gamblers was carefully vetted by the commission’s lawyers, with no legal issues raised.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey said the office would look into the matter.
Also on Thursday, the Gaming Commission allowed the would-be developer of a proposed casino in New Bedford to remain in the competition for the state’s third and final resort casino license, despite the developer’s incomplete financing plan.
KG Urban, the developer, told the commission it was within a week of finalizing its deal with its major equity partner, Gaming and Leisure Properties.
The commission accepted KG Urban’s assurances and voted unanimously to allow the developer at least two more weeks to finish the deal.
KG Urban’s proposal for a $650 million casino on the New Bedford waterfront is one of only two applicants for the license in that region. The other applicant, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, has already submitted its initial application for a $650 million casino in Brockton.
On Tuesday, Brockton voters narrowly approved hosting a casino.
An applicant that had proposed a casino in Somerset notified the gaming commission it was withdrawing its application.
Sean P. Murphy can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Follow him on Twitter @spmurphyboston.| < Prev | Next > |
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