The Massachusetts Gaming Commission revealed at a Thursday meeting in Springfield that it would not announce its decision whether it would grant the third gaming license to the proposed hotel and casino resort on the Brockton Fairgrounds before February or March.
The meeting was held as a response to Mass Gaming & Entertainment’s request for commissioners to give a guarantee that the Brockton casino application would be considered without waiting for the issues related to the proposed tribal casino in Taunton to be completely solved.
Last week, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe was given the green light to take control over two parcels of land in Southeastern Massachusetts. One of the parcels was where the tribal casino would be built. Clearing the land hurdle for its casino project, the federally recognized tribe cast a shadow over the Brockton proposal.
Under an agreement between Massachusetts and the Mashpee Wampanoags, the latter are to share a significant portion of their gaming revenue with the state, provided that their future casino is the only one operating in the Southeastern Massachusetts region. Tribal officials said earlier this week that they intend to comply with the compact. However, it is still unclear whether the state would stick with it, too.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ decision to allow the Mashpee Wampanoags treat the land as their own and build a casino on one of the sites would probably be appealed by opponents of the $500-million development. Thus, it could take years before everything is settled.
Earlier this month, the Brockton casino developer expressed concerns that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission may want to wait for the Taunton situation to be solved before announcing its decision on the future of the proposed Mass Gaming & Entertainment gambling venue.
The state gambling regulator opened a two-week comment period on whether regulators should make a hasty decision on the Brockton casino resort. Everyone who wanted to comment on the matter had up until September 18 to submit their opinion.
During the Thursday meeting in Springfield, commissioners told Mass Gaming & Entertainment that they could not guarantee when and whether they would grant it the coveted license for a full-scale casino in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby pointed out that the regulator has an established process for the evaluation of casino applications and it is planning to stick with it. The Gaming Commission wants to pay due attention to all factors, including the possible tribal casino.
Mass Gaming & Entertainment said in a statement, issued after the Thursday meeting, that it would continue pursuing the Region C gaming license and would make a strong case that the proposed Brockton venue is what the state needs. The developer has up to September 30 to submit the last part of its application to the gaming commission.
