Another casino project is joining the fray in New England’s increasingly crowded gambling scene.
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe officially breaks ground Tuesday on a resort casino in Taunton, about 30 miles south of Boston.
The casino, hotel and entertainment complex is expected to open in phases by 2017, making it Massachusetts’ first Las Vegas-style resort. MGM and Wynn are developing casinos that aren’t slated to open until 2018.
At an estimated $1 billion cost, the project is the splashiest entry yet in the stretch of New England between Boston and Providence.
Plainridge Park, a slots parlor in Plainville, Massachusetts, and Twin River, a full scale casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, already are in operation.
Chicago-based casino developer Neil Bluhm is also seeking Massachusetts approval for a resort in nearby Brockton.
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