The fate of the proposed casino in Brockton Massachusetts will be revealed in less than a month.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has scheduled a final public input meeting for the proposed Brockton casino on March 1.
There won’t be any decision at the meeting but rather an opportunity for MGC to gather information and gauge public comment related to the application, as it prepares to make a final decision by the end of March.
“This public hearing is intended to provide the Commission with the opportunity to pose questions to the applicant and address concerns relative to the proposal of Mass Gaming & Entertainment, LLC to build a gaming establishment in Brockton,” said MGC.
The Brockton casino proposal was approved by a narrow margin during a citywide vote in May, with 7,163 in favor to 7,020 opposed. A deal between the developer and the city would provide Brockton the greater of either $10 million or 2.25% of the casino’s total gambling revenues each year. However, if the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s resort casino opens in Taunton, the minimum payment to Brockton’s city government would be slashed to $6.75 million annually.
The casino is expected to open in the third quarter of 2018.
Aquinnah Wampanoag appeals judge’s ruling on Martha’s Vineyard casino
The Aquinnah Wampanoag, Massachusetts only federally recognized tribe, has filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Monday.
The appeal challenged U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV’s November ruling stating that the tribe cannot turn its long-unused community center into a gambling hall.
The notice, which did not detail the tribe’s argument, was expected after the tribe failed to convince the judge to reconsider his ruling last month.
The tribe had planned to convert the community center in Martha’s Vineyard into a slots casino, but a legal challenge from the state argued that the tribe previously gave up its right to open a casino on the island.
The judge’s decision was a major defeat for the tribe as it had already begun construction to convert its 6,500-square-foot center into a casino.
