The long-running debate in Massachusetts over expanded gambling could get reshaped with the reemergence of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe as a credible potential casino developer.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has rejected a push by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to enter into early compact talks over plans for a proposed, $1bn casino. The rebuff by the governor, ahead of the crucial presidential election this year, could slow the tribe’s drive to win federal approval to create a sovereign reservation for a gambling resort.

Serious cracks have emerged in the relationship between Mashpee Wampanoag leaders and a group of high-powered investors backing the tribe’s push to open a resort casino in Massachusetts.

The Bay State’s two federally-recognised Indian nations can no longer call the shots in the state’s gambling debate, despite a recent flurry of tribal casino proposals, industry observers say.

The booming Indian casino sector is facing a serious setback in one of its hottest new US markets, with Massachusetts officials raising serious concerns about plans for a tribal gaming resort in the state. Governor Deval Patrick’s opposition comes as federal officials in Washington DC take an increasingly skeptical view of proposals for new Indian casinos.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is scrambling to keep alive its dreams of opening a new Foxwoods-style gambling resort in Massachusetts in the wake of a potentially devastating US Supreme Court decision.

A tiny Long Island tribe with grand hopes of building a casino outside New York City already has a critical leg up over other tribal gambling venues proposed across the Northeast.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has hit a major stumbling block in its quest to build a casino in Massachusetts, with the tribe’s former chairman pleading guilty to directing tens of thousands in illegal campaign contributions to federal and state lawmakers, among other charges. The case makes the tribe’s casino plans a harder sell at the State House, while also raising questions about the tribe’s hard-won federal recognition.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says it is on track to win federal approval for a reservation in Southeastern Massachusetts on which to build the New England state’s first casino. However, the tribe’s plans will first have to square up to the financial and political realities of the cash-strapped state.

The superstar investors who developed Mohegan Sun are now scrambling to shore up a newly acquired gambling empire that stretches from New England to Colorado. The investors, who include international casino tycoon Sol Kerzner and long-time business partner Len Wolman, are the latest players in the US gambling industry to grapple with the fallout from a slower economy and higher gas prices.