Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has the money, the name recognition, the approval ratings, and the backing of elected officials from both parties — a perfect recipe for re-election.
The Mashpee Wampanoags may never build a casino in Taunton now that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has ruled that the tribe was not "now under federal jurisdiction" in 1934 when Congress passed a key federal statute that governs how and whether a tribe may take newly acquired land into trust.
The Wampanoags want to build a casino on 150 acres in Taunton, which is about 48 miles northwest of the Cape Cod town of Mashpee, which is where the tribe is headquartered. Some neighbors don't want the casino and have sued in federal court to try to prevent it from being built, with backing from a rival casino operator who wants to open one in Brockton.
