Casino could be coming to Taunton

TAUNTON, Mass. (WHDH) -- The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is one step closer to opening up a casino in the Bay State.

The Taunton location is not far from Twin River or Newport Grand in Rhode Island and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. If the deal goes through, it could create a border war for your cash, and the stakes are high.

On Thursday, Governor Deval Patrick said his administration may be able to sign an agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoag by as early as next week.

The last resort casino compact between the state and the tribe never amounted to anything. That's because the tribe rejected the state's offer, saying among other things, Massachusetts was attempting to take too high a percentage of the tribe's gaming profits.

But even though the details are vague, on Thursday the governor announced a new, tentative agreement. And that means after years of haggling, the massive project could soon get a green light.

Around east Taunton reaction was mixed.

“I actually think it will be beneficial to the area. I mean really it's going to bring more jobs to the area, it's going to bring more attention to the area, so I think it will be beneficial I really don't think it will be a bad thing,” said Natasha Dias.

“I think it's going to be a disaster. Taunton has enough problems, we don't need a casino. I think it will bring more debt to people because people have gambling problems as it is,” said Kelsea Marvel.

“I think it's a great idea, I really do. I mean I love going to the casinos myself, I've been to Las Vegas about five times, and I think it will bring a lot of business to the area,” said Chris Cerce.

“The tribe that's trying to run it, doesn't own that land. So it's going to be a battle between them and along with the battle with people around here that don't want it in here, so not quite sure what's going to happen with it,” said Jeanette Reynolds.

If built, the resort-style casino is expected to employ about 2,000 people and created about 1,000 temporary construction jobs.