Detroit casino interests behind Cape Cod casino plans

8.06.07

Mass. tribe gets casino help from Detroit

When Middleborough, Mass., residents voted July 29 to endorse a proposal for a $1 billion Indian casino resort in their town, there was a significant Detroit presence involved.

Entrepreneur Herb Strather and attorneys Laurence Deitch and Dennis Whittlesey are assisting the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe in its pursuit of the project.

Strather's Detroit-based AtMashpee L.L.C. aided the tribe in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs for final recognition, which became official on May 23. It owns or has options on 375 acres of land in Middleborough. Strather, who organized the founding company for MotorCity Casino, also has helped finance the Mashpee tribe's casino development efforts.

Deitch, of Detroit-based Bodman L.L.P., provides legal counsel to the tribe. Whittlesey, a gaming and Indian law attorney of Dickinson Wright P.L.L.C.'s Washington office, represents Middleborough.

“The Detroit involvement in this project is no accident,” Whittlesey said, “and don't be surprised if you see more of it around the country.”