Gambling Hearing on Proposed Massachusetts Casino

A legislative panel has scheduled a public hearing on a proposed casino compact between the State and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.

The Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies will review the agreement on May 15, more than six weeks after it was submitted to lawmakers by Gov. Deval Patrick. Under the revised compact, the tribe would likely pay the State between 15 and 17 percent of gaming revenues from a casino it hopes to build in Taunton. An earlier compact that was rejected by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs called for the tribe to turn over 21.5 percent of gaming proceeds.The state Gambling Commission voted last month to allow commercial developers to apply for casino licenses in Southeastern Massachusetts, a region that had previously been reserved for a federally-recognized indian tribe.