State Submits Taunton Casino Compact to Feds

Massachusetts has submitted its gambling compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe for federal approval.

The Taunton Gazette reports that Gov. Deval Patrick sent a letter Friday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urging him to approve it. The tribe proposes building a $500 million casino in Taunton. The compact is subject to a 45-day federal approval process.

In July, Patrick and tribal leaders signed the agreement allowing the tribe exclusive rights to develop a resort casino in southeastern Massachusetts under the state's new gambling law. The deal calls for the tribe to return 21.5 percent of future gambling revenues to Massachusetts, the highest figure ever negotiated between a state and Native American tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs also must give its permission to place the proposed casino land into federal trust.

[Via AP]