HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1701 FILED ON: 1/13/2009
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4063
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the Year Two Thousand Nine
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An Act regarding gambling establishments..
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Section 1. Before any gambling law becomes legal and binding, there must be consent between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all Native American tribes that are, or could be, federally recognized as such. The consent to any law regarding casinos between the two parties shall be written and binding, that expressly states the regulations of casinos including, but not limited to the:
size of the casino
location of the casino
allotment and distribution of revenues generated by the casino establishment
additional benefits the host community will receive from the casino
local approval of proposed host community or communities
Further, the location of any gambling establishment must be approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Native American tribes, the community within which the proposed casino may be built, and any communities or towns that are within 15 miles of the host community by a vote of the majority. Additionally, the town or community that would host the proposed casino, by a majority vote, approve the casino’s location for the casino to be placed in said community. A majority vote from both the community within which the proposed casino may be placed and the surrounding communities of said community is necessary in order for the gambling establishment to be built. No private or state land shall be taken for the purpose of constructing, or preparing to construct any gambling establishment without written consent from either the owner who appears on the deed of private land, or by vote of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for state land.
The host community and those communities 15 miles or closer to the host community shall receive extra benefits, as well as an allotment of revenues generated from the gambling establishment that is in addition to any state-wide redistribution plan that is currently in place to allocate casino revenues.