Tribal Agreement For Taunton Casino Approved By Senate

It's only one more step in what could be a long process for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, but the Massachusetts Senate has approved a revised casino compact between Governor Deval Patrick and the tribe.   The Mashpee hope to build a $500 million resort casino near routes 140 and 24 in Taunton.

The Massachusetts house voted last month to back the compact, which would give the state between 15 and 21 percent of gambling revenues from the casino.   It still needs to be approved by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.   Other hurdles still faced by the tribe include the approval be the federal government for land-in-trust for the Taunton site.