Lakeville Another Possible Site for Aquinnah Tribe Casino

Last week we reported that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head-Aquinnah had reached out to the town of Fall River to discuss building a casino in that town.

Tonight, according to the Fall River Herald News, residents of Lakeville, MA will be discussing whether their town is open to an Aquinnah tribe run casino.

“Members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard are expected to attend tonight’s selectmen meeting to discuss their interest in building a tribal casino in the town,” reported the Herald.

Another report on Boston.com said that the tribe could face legal issues because the tribe may have “lost their rights to pursue tribal gambling when in the 1980s the tribe agreed to settle a longstanding land dispute.”

Boston.com reported that the tribe agreed that its property would be subject to state law, according to legal observers, in exchange for land on Martha’s Vineyard. This may disqualify the Aquinnah from the federal process under which sovereign tribes can open casinos.

However, the Aquinnah dispute this interpretation and are moving forward. Last week the Tribe’s Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais , said that “The Tribe is committed to pursuing every viable opportunity as we continue on our path of self-reliance.”

Massachusetts state law authorizes only one gambling resort in each of the state’s three regions.

According to Boston.com “Until last week, it was largely presumed that the Mashpee Wampanoag would be the tribe to pursue a casino in the southeast part of the state. But then the Aquinnah, based on Martha’s Vineyard, launched their push, shocking officials in Fall River, Freetown, and Lakeville by asking each community to schedule a voter referendum on the question of hosting a tribal casino.”

Lakeville Town Administrator Rita Garbitt told the Herald that, ““They have an option to purchase land in Lakeville, but they’re not revealing the parcel.”

The Mashpee Wampanoag announced two weeks ago that they have an option to purchase land in East Taunton and that they will also be pursuing a casino license.