Those who set store by the fable of the tortoise and the hare can take heart from the saga of the Mashpee Wampanoag. It took them a long time to get their act together, federal land-in-trust approval seemed unlikely and it looked as though they’d never find a way 
around Carcieri v. Salazar. But the prevailed time and again, and now are poised to build a Class III casino, having already compacted with Massachusetts, which stands to collect 17% of gross gaming revenues if the Massachusetts Gaming Commission rubber-stamps what is now a fait accompli. The MGC could argue that Region C is saturated with gambling and not issue a license, but that’s just taking bread off the state’s plate and I don’t see gaming commissioners doing that. Besides, it’s not like the Mashpee Wampanoag haven’t worked hard to earn their seat at the table.
Plans for Project First Light include no fewer than three hotels (one with a water park), retail and dining — of course — and a casino with 3,000 slots, 150 table games, plus 40 tables’ worth of poker. Concludes The Cape Cod Times, “Today, the gambling landscape in Massachusetts looks the way the Legislature drew it up — two full-fledged casinos in distinct regions, a tribal casino in Southeastern Massachusetts and a single-slot parlor.” So chalk one up in the ‘win’ column for former Gov. Deval Patrick, whose vision of gambling for Massachusetts ultimately panned out.
“There’s one critical variable in play and that’s does the tribe produce the product that it has promised to produce. If it does, I would guess that the commission would feel very satisfied with the way things worked out,” cautioned MGC Chairman Stephen Crosby. “If the tribe isn’t able to do anything, whether it’s because of the [Brockton] lawsuit or something else, then we will have made a mistake. I don’t think that’s likely, but it’s a possibility. I just kept wrestling with how much can we count on the tribe’s commitment?” Oh, I think their commitment has been tested and proved sufficient.
* A group of California congressman are taking the issue of off-reservation gaming to the federal level. Led by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R), they’ve introduced the California Compact Protect Act. It would allow voters to have the final say on whether off-
reservation casinos would be sited in their locality. LaMalfa says he is preserving “the tribal-state compact process authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act [to] ensure that all tribes are on a level playing field.” “Under the disingenuous banner of ‘protecting compacts and tribes,’ this bill does neither — except perhaps protect the interests of a few rich gaming tribes who have long enjoyed the benefits of gaming and are now using this shameful 11th-hour attempt to stop competition by our tribe that has worked for more than a decade to comply with every requirement of federal law,” replied Enterprise Rancheria Chairwoman Glenda Nelson. The inciting incident was a federal judge’s ruling that the state had to negotiate a compact with the North Fork Rancheria, even though voters in the area had rejected the previous compact in 2014. The federal-level proxy fight will be an acid test of whether remotely located tribes can establish casinos closer to the action — and perhaps settle the issue of “reservation shopping.”
* Thanks to a bubble in sports betting in March 2015, Nevada sports books took it on the chin two months ago, down 48% to $10 million. The numbers were made worse by football bettors who waited until March to collect $13 million in winnings. Other significant variables in the casino were a 17% decline in craps revenue, 18% higher winnings in roulette and 19% more in three-card poker. Mini-baccarat winning rose 12% but Let It Ride fell 13%. Bingo, although a small number on the balance sheet, plummeted 35%.
* Few readers have probably heard of Muckleshoot Casino, in Washington State. But it’s definitely on the map, having held a Guinness World Records-certified, largest-ever slot tournament. Some 3,173 players participated in the 13-hour tourney, with top winner “Benigno T.” taking home $21,000 and a four-night berth in Las Vegas for Everi’s TournEvent of Champions on Sept. 28. (Everi used to be known as Global Cash Access.) The recognition accorded Muckleshoot shows the long way it has come from being games held in sprung structure. Now let’s see if Vegas can hold a slot tournament that outdraws Muckleshoot mania.
