“The Donald” and Indian Gaming-- and Kathryn in Boston Magazine

“I certainly wouldn’t expect him to stay quiet.” That’s how Kathryn characterizes the likelihood that Donald Trump will stay mum on the chance that the Mashpee Wampanoag will seek a casino license in Massachusetts. She’s quoted in Boston Magazine’s October 17th “BostonDaily” feature.

Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a bidding process for three new casinos in the highly lucrative Massachusetts market. Trump has expressed strong interest in the prospects for that action. Boston Magazine reports that Trump is embroiled in a billion dollar lawsuit with Suffolk Downs owner Richard Fields, who is also a potential bidder.

But Trump may have an even greater problem with the Wampanoag.

Given his track record in expressing his strongly held opinions on Indian gaming, Trump should have a few things to say as Governor Patrick’s proposal develops. In the Boston Magazine piece, Kathryn notes that Trump frequently has been on the record as a critic of Indian gaming –- and of tribes themselves: “He was one of the very early critics of whether newly recognized tribes were actually tribes. He’s attacked the authenticity of tribal members.”

The Donald is always good for a "killer" quote. Asserting that tribes aren’t able to regulate their own gaming operations, Trump once said, “That some Indian chief is going to tell Joey Killer to get off his reservation is unbelievable.”

For more, including Kathryn’s analysis in today's story ("Casinos: Indian Trump Card"), click here.

And guess what? We're heading to Boston next week to talk about the morality of Indian gaming at a conference on "Gambling and the American Moral Landscape" at Boston College's Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. Check out the speakers at www.bc.edu/gambling