It was bound to happen and finally did: An activist group in Taunton has filed suit to stop the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from building its dreamt-of casino, Project First Light. The litigants’ argument is as 
predictable as the filing itself. Namely, that the Carcieri v. Salazar decision prevents the Mashpee Wamps from being given reservation acreage in Taunton because the tribe was not under federal recognition in 1934, the cutoff date established in Carcieri and the time of passage of the Indian Reorganization Act.
The tribe’s opponents contend that the Department of Interior took an overly liberal attitude in how it construed “Indian” with regard to the Mashpee, “falsely proclaiming ambiguity where none exists.” Being unable to get a “Carcieri fix” through Congress, they add, Interior Department bureaucrats decided to “torture and twist language that is plain language, to get results they want.” As unsurprising as the lawsuit itself is the fact that rival casino developer Neil Bluhm (above) is bankrolling it, making good on his prophecy that the Mashpee Wampanoag casino proposal would be tied up in court.
Bluhm’s own Brockton Fairgrounds project (below) comes up for a yes-or-no vote from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on March 
31. The MGC might decide not to issue the state’s fourth and final gaming license, if it determines the market to be saturated. If the Mashpee’s federal recognition holds up in court, the tribe could always make an end run around the MGC by seeking a federal compact. Massachusetts politicians won’t like that because it cuts the Bay State out of the 17% tax the tribe would otherwise have to pay the state.
As for the commission, Bluhm’s fate — and that of the Mashpee — may well rest with how impressed the MGC is with each proposal. “One of the critical variables on whether we make that award or not is the status of the tribe and their proposals,” said MGC Commission Stephen Crosby. It’s unclear at the moment if the Mashpee will go forward with their casino, litigation be damned.
* Halfway around the world, Sheldon Adelson is being “george” to his Sands China workforce. Eligible employees — ones with a year or more on the payroll — will receive a bonus equivalent to a month’s salary. Workers who joined before October 15 will receive a smaller, prorated bonus. The generosity didn’t stop there. Roughly 96% of employees will receive a pay raise worth as much as $62 a month. It may not seem like a lot but wages are far lower in Macao than in Sin City.
