Mass. Gaming Commission rejects casino proposal for Brockton

AN ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING of the proposed First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton. The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe has broken ground on the complex, which now will be unchallenged for gaming in southeastern Massachusetts, after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted against awarding a commercial resort casino license to a Brockton casino proposal. / COURTESY MASHPEE WAMPANOAG INDIAN TRIBE
AN ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING of the proposed First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton. The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe has broken ground on the complex, which now will be unchallenged for gaming in southeastern Massachusetts, after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted against awarding a commercial resort casino license to a Brockton casino proposal. / COURTESY MASHPEE WAMPANOAG INDIAN TRIBE

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted against awarding a commercial resort casino license in Brockton in Southeastern Massachusetts, also known as Region C.
The five gaming commissioners on Thursday voted 4 to 1 not to issue the resort casino license to the lone applicant, Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC, which wanted to open a casino at the Brockton Fairgrounds.

Chairman Steve Crosby and Commissioners Gayle Cameron, Bruce Stebbins and Enrique Zuniga voted to not award the license, while Commissioner Lloyd MacDonald voted in favor of it, according to information posted on the gaming commission website.

“We evaluated and deliberated as thoroughly and comprehensively as we possibly could. These decisions are difficult and we acknowledge can be very disappointing for the invested participants. However in the end, the commission has a responsibility to make a big decision in view of all considerations and that includes the best long-term interests of the commonwealth,” Crosby said in a statement.
The commission had been deliberating the proposal for two days.

Earlier this month, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe held a groundbreaking ceremony for its billion-dollar First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton, approximately 20 miles away from the Brockton site. A portion of that casino is expected to open next year.
The Boston Business Journal reported that without a commercial casino in region C, the tribal casino will have to pay taxes to the state. If a commercial casino opened, the tribal casino would not be responsible for paying taxes, the BBJ said.
In the wake of the vote, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell issued the following statement:

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“We have been living on this land for thousands of years and made it possible for non-natives to establish themselves here. Historically, our people have been the recipients of a string of broken promises. Today is not one of those days. I commend the Gaming Commission for making a difficult but wise and just decision. As their own consultants noted, licensing a casino in the same region lawmakers intended to be the exclusive domain of our tribe would have meant up to $40 million less revenue per year for the commonwealth.”

“We are upholding our end of the bargain and are on schedule to open our doors for business by next summer. Today, the Gaming Commission upheld the commonwealth’s end of the bargain, paving the way for a fruitful economic partnership that will uplift my people and create economic opportunities for the city of Taunton, Southeastern Massachusetts and indeed the entire state.”

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