BCC casino classes on hold as Taunton casino continues to languish

TAUNTON — Taunton’s Bristol Community College campus includes 12 classrooms, four computer labs, a library with 16 computers, a nursing-assistant lab and a casino simulation lab.

President Laura Douglas was at the learning center last summer for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the casino training lab.

BCC was the first institute of secondary education to have been certified by the state’s gaming commission as a gaming school.

Students who want to learn how to become dealers or casino pit bosses have been able to sign up for courses as part of the school’s program called CATCH, short for culinary arts, tourism, casino and hospitality.

But with the continued delay — as result of a 2016 federal court challenge by a group of East Taunton residents — of the construction of a Mashpee Wampanoag resort casino on the other side of Route 140, enrollment in the casino program has dwindled.

As a result, BCC Taunton campus' new Dean Robert Rezendes said for the foreseeable future he’ll focus on other areas of study that directly address the needs of the community — including courses on substance abuse counseling programs, cyber security and digital forensics.

He did, however, note that with the imminent opening of a Twin River casino in Tiverton, there could be interest among candidates interested in casino-management positions who would benefit from enrolling in the CATCH program.