State Lawmakers Approve Revised Casino Compact

The Massachusetts Senate has approved a revised casino compact between Gov. Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which is seeking to build a resort casino in Taunton.

    The agreement, reached between the tribe and the governor in March, was approved Thursday on a voice vote. The House voted last month to back the compact, under which the state could stand to receive between 15 and 21 percent of gambling revenues from the casino.

    The compact must still be approved by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, which rejected an earlier agreement between the state and the tribe because it called for Massachusetts to receive too generous a share of gambling revenues.

    The Mashpee face several other hurdles, including a requirement that it receive federal land-in-trust approval for the Taunton site. (Associated Press)