In 2015, Rush Street Gaming was the sole bidder for Region C. It proposed a $677 million casino complex at the Brockton Fairgrounds.
However, the MGC denied the application arguing that if the Mashpee Tribe gained federal approval for its Taunton casino, the southeastern region would be oversaturated with gaming. The Commission received a $300 million proposal in August to build a slots parlour and horse racetrack in Wareham. Nevertheless, the project would require state legislation to pass, allowing the MGC to issue a second slots-only license.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) wants an update on the legal proceedings between the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the federal government regarding its proposed $1 billion casino resort in Taunton. O’Connell said it would be a “multifaceted gaming and entertainment facility. However, the scheme would require the state to amend its Expanded Gaming Act, which requires Category 1 casino licenses to come with a minimum investment of $500 million.
Acting general counsel Todd Grossman and associate counsel Justin Stempeck told the MGC that it seems the US Interior Department will not take the tribe’s 321 acres of land into federal trust. According to casino org, the Commission can move forward with considering bids for the final remaining Category 1 casino license.
Consequently, the MGC attorneys pointed to the state’s Expanded Gaming Act passed in 2011. That says, “At any time on or after August 1, 2012, the commission determines that the tribe will not have land taken into trust by the United States Secretary of the Interior, the commission shall consider bids for a category 1 license in Region C.”
Rush is still interested in developing a casino in Brockton. According to their attorney’s report, their concern is with the pace and lack of urgency with which the Commission has approached Region C. Rush might not be the sole Region C bidder this time around.
