Patrick, a mentor of Barack Obama, said that some form of expanded gaming is coming because "the tribe has some tribal rights to that, and we want to be ahead of that, and we'd like that to be within the framework we define rather than having it defined for us."

Publicly, the governor said is not officially negotiating a compact now, and he has no plans, at the moment, to negotiate a casino compact. But that's not what the scuttlebut says.
The governor's spokeswoman, Kofi Jones, issued a statement, indicating the governor is meeting with the Wampanoag tribe as members move forward with their application to place 550 acres in Middleborough in federal trust. An environmental impact study is part of the application process.

"As a sovereign nation, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe will have rights to open a casino on any federally recognized land, and it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth for the administration to remain in active conversations with respect to their plans," said Jones.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District, said he had assumed that when the governor's casino bill failed in March, that Patrick would turn his attention to the Indian casino proposal.

"It's probably responsible to negotiate a compact now," Smith said.
Those in southeastern Massachusetts worry that their area of the state isn't going to get what it needs when a compact is struck between the state and the tribe. They argue much of the casino proceeds that are given to the state should be channeled to the communities that would bear most of the impact of that billion-dollar casino.
Generally, the state gets as much as 25 percent of the revenue from such a casino operation.

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