First Light Casino Opens New Bar With Free Drinks for Rewards Members

First Light Casino in Taunton has opened a new bar serving beer, wine, and pre‑mixed cocktails, with regular hours from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. 

According to a Cape Cod Times report, members of the casino's rewards program can receive free drinks — domestic beer or house wine — while actively playing on the casino's gaming machines. This announcement follows approval last year from city and federal officials to sell alcohol at the casino.

The casino has a history of hosting weekend events, including concerts and televised football games. It plans to resume them this year, with alcohol service returning and the events resuming in full as weather permits.

The alcohol approvals and expansion of the casino offerings are part of a broader Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Taunton project timeline that started with an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in 2012 and continued through 2024–2025. The original 2012 agreement described a large casino project, in which "phase 1" would include 3,000 slot machines, 150 table games, and 40 poker tables, according to a copy of the IGA reviewed by the Taunton Gazette. That project never got off the ground.

In 2024, more than a decade after the original IGA was signed, the tribe said it would construct a "welcome center" on its land in Taunton. The welcome center opened in January 2025. It was made up of temporary trailers and had 10 gaming machines to start. The number of machines at the facility, however, has steadily grown.

Last March, the number of slot machines grew to 50 following a new agreement with the city. Last July, the tribe began referring to the welcome center as a casino. At that time, the casino also opened a new section with more trailers containing additional gaming machines.