Taunton It Is For Mashpee Tribe Casino

By: Geoff Spillane
Published: 02/28/12

 The highly anticipated announcement of where the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will propose its destination resort casino is expected to be made tomorrow morning in Taunton.

The Enterprise has learned that Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell and Taunton Mayor Thomas C. Hoye, Jr. will make a joint announcement at Taunton City Hall Wednesday, ending months of speculation as to where in southeastern Massachusetts the casino would be located.

New Bedford, Fall River, Bridgewater, Middleborough, and Raynham have all been mentioned as potential host municipalities, but the tribe has selected a 53-acre parcel in an industrial park near the intersection of Routes 140 and Route 24, in close proximity to the Silver City Galleria shopping mall. Taunton, the seat of Bristol County, had a population of 55,874 as of the 2010 census.

In order to maintain its priveleged status under the expanded gambling bill passed by Beacon Hill late last year, the tribe will have until July 31 to schuedule a referendum vote on the project with Taunton residents and negotiate a revenue sharing and regulatory compact with Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick.

Additional information regarding the announcement will be posted on our website on Wednesday afternoon, and a full story will appear in Friday's paper.