According to town administrator James Malloy, the Nipmuc Indians are interested in siting a casino on 300 acres that straddle this town and Union, CT with the bulk of the property--225 acres--in Sturbridge. The Pontbriand family currently owns the land but the Nipmucs have an option to purchase it. Malloy tells GlobeSt.com that George Pontbriand claims the option was secured through a third party and he had no idea to whom he was granting the option.

In nearby Southbridge, the town council is expected to vote shortly on a resolution opposing a casino in this area. Reportedly, the town will also look into a strategy to negotiate impact fees if a gaming facility is built. In Charlton, another neighboring town, selectmen soon will hold their first discussion on the potential impact of a casino. Malloy says that Sturbridge just sent a "sent a flurry of letters asking their congressmen to get involved" in the issue.

What is at stake, area residents believe, is the very nature of their communities, which, according to Malloy, will be irrevocably altered by the presence of a gaming venue in their midst. "It would change everything," he says. The Nipmucs have reportedly recently signed a seven-year agreement with a Minnesota casino management company and are awaiting word from the federal government on whether they will receive federal recognition as a tribe. Without the recognition, they cannot build the casino.