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- The First Light Welcome Center, a temporary gaming facility in Taunton, will operate seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting April 21.
- The center currently houses 50 slot machines, the maximum allowed under a city-tribe agreement.
- The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe views the welcome center as a precursor to a larger casino project.
Gambling will be available in Taunton seven days a week, thanks to extended hours at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s First Light Welcome Center at 1 O’Connell Way.
According to a written statement from the tribe, starting on Monday, April 21, the welcome center — which includes 50 slot machines — will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week. The statement says that the welcome center is a “preview” of a larger casino project that the tribe hopes to build in the future.
“I am glad to say we’ve seen a very positive response with the opening of the First Light Welcome Center,” said Brian Weeden, the chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, in the statement. “Feeling that level of support from the City of Taunton, community members, and visitors is what encouraged us to expand operating hours for our guests.”
Here’s what we know about the casino project so far.
What were welcome center’s old hours?
Originally, the welcome center was open from Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then, the hours were extended to Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Now, the welcome center will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., starting on Monday, April 21.
Welcome Center features 50 slot machines
The welcome center contains 50 slot machines. That is the maximum number of slot machines permitted under an agreement between the city and the tribe signed in March. The agreement allows the tribe to build a “temporary” gaming facility — the welcome center — without triggering the financial obligations that go along with a full-blown casino.
What people think
Malaysia Ferguson, a member of the tribe and an employee at the welcome center, told the Gazette Wednesday, April 2, that she “loved” working at the welcome center.
“Come win you some money,” she said. The number of visitors to the welcome center has been “increasing by the week,” she said.
Cory Campion, a Taunton resident playing one of the machines at the welcome center on April 2, said it was his second time at the welcome center. “I would definitely say it is a good addition [to Taunton],” he said. “There’s not really too many places for people in Taunton to go to.”
Welcome center is ‘first step’ towards larger project
The tribe’s written statement describes the welcome center as a “first step” or a “preview” of a larger casino project the tribe hopes to build on the land.
“When First Light Casino’s full Class III casino opens, it will redefine entertainment in Southeastern Massachusetts with a world-class gaming floor, high-energy table games, top-tier dining, and live entertainment,” the press release says.
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