Tribe asks Patrick to talk casino

 BOSTON. The Mashpee Wampanoags asked Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday to begin negotiations with them over a tribal casino agreement that would set revenue-sharing guidelines and allow full-scale gambling at a proposed facility.

The state is not legally obligated to start the deliberations, because the Mashpee Wampanoags do not yet have land in trust, a pending federal decision.

In a letter distributed yesterday afternoon, the tribe asked Patrick to launch the negotiations, which tribal officials hope will be the state’s first casino. Tribal representatives have said they expect federal authorities to approve the land-in-trust application by early next year.

“Secretary O’Connell will review it in the coming days and determine an appropriate response,” said Kofi Jones, a spokeswoman for Patrick’s top economic development aide, Sec. Daniel O’Connell.