Aquinnah selectmen voted Wednesday to send a letter to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), requesting a public meeting to discuss the bingo hall now under construction.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has officially broken ground on a long-promised gambling facility in the small up-Island town, unleashing a flurry of concern.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) may go into the gambling business.
Last week the tribal council unanimously voted to pursue gaming as a possible means of making money. The council also decided that any future casino would be located on the Massachusetts mainland.
“This is only the preliminary,” said tribal chairman Beverly M. Wright this week. “It’s just something we are looking at, just like we’re looking at a museum.”
Wampanoag tribal officials last week chose a new investment partner to finance the $150 million casino and theme park they hope to build in New Bedford.
Carnival Hotels & Casinos (CHC International) of Coconut Grove, Fla. will front the money to develop and manage the proposed entertainment center, the tribe officials announced during a press conference in Boston late last week.
The proposed casino was supposed to be a winning bet for all, a rich deal that would be as much of a boon to state taxpayers as it would to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Construction has begun on a large bingo hall planned by the tribe in Aquinnah — and tribal leaders have issued a stern warning to the town and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to not interfere.
Aquinnah selectmen have asked Martha’s Vineyard Commission to exercise its authority under its enabling act and review the proposed bingo hall as a development of regional impact (DRI).
Aquinnah selectmen are asking the Wampanoag tribe to confirm a list of details about a planned bingo hall. And the selectmen want a response by Tuesday.
