First Light Casino Opens Bar as Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Adds Gaming Machines

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's First Light Casino in Taunton has received city and federal approval to sell alcohol. Following this approval, the tribe will launch a bar at the casino, starting with beer and wine, and later adding three slot machines integrated into the bar.

According to a Taunton Daily Gazette report, the casino's liquor license is a full liquor license and does not restrict it to serving only beer and wine, explained Taunton OECD Director Jay Pateakos.

The casino previously hosted a series of weekend events that included concerts and televised football games. Pateakos said that the casino anticipates these weekend events to "return in full force" in 2026 and as early as "when the weather changes."

The liquor license approval is the latest in a series of developments for the casino. A historically significant Intergovernmental Agreement between Taunton and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for a large casino project was signed in 2012. The original 2012 agreement detailed a "phase 1" for the casino project that would have included 3,000 slot machines, 150 table games, and 40 poker tables, according to a copy of the IGA reviewed by the Gazette.

The project faced legal roadblocks for many years, but was ultimately resolved in 2024.

Since mid-2025, the Taunton project has been described increasingly as a full-fledged casino. Following the signing of the IGA, the tribe announced it was constructing a welcome center on its tribal land. That welcome center, which opened last January, consists of temporary trailers. At first, the trailers housed only 10 gaming machines, but the number has steadily increased.

The number of gaming machines has increased from 10 to 50 by March 2025 under a city agreement. Last July, the tribe started calling its welcome center a casino. Around that time, the casino debuted an expansion project featuring additional trailers with more gaming machines.