After refusing for more than two years, the Narragansett Indian tribe is now ready to accept its share of the state’s gambling revenue if Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas can get clarification about precisely how the money can be used.

At the urging of Governor Carcieri, the General Assembly struck a deal in 2005 under which the tribe would get 5 percent of the revenue generated by new slot machines at what was then known as Lincoln Park. The law establishing the payment cleared the way for the sale of Lincoln Park to BLB Investors.

At the time, the tribe was focused on getting its own casino in West Warwick.

Since December of 2006, when the tribe refused to take its first share, the obligation has increased to $1,486,000.

Thomas said this week he wants written assurances that tribal members won’t “be subject to arrest or harassment” if they use the money for traditional purposes, such as holding a powwow, and that accepting the payment would not impugn the tribe’s sovereignty, he said.

“We want clarity,” Thomas said.

The money, which would come from state lottery revenues, has been logged for state budgeting purposes as a liability, according to Jeff Neal, Governor Carcieri’s spokesman.

“It’s always been assumed it’s a payment we would make at some time or other,” Neal said.

The tribe has previously balked at taking the money, citing unexplained concerns about the language in the 2005 law which, in addition to earmarking money for the tribe, allowed Lincoln Park to add 1,750 new slots.

The agreement dictates that the tribe’s share be placed in a Tribal Development Fund dedicated to promoting home ownership and improvements, elderly housing, adult vocational training, health and social services, childcare, natural-resource protection and economic development. The payments would stop upon the opening of any gambling establishment from which the tribe received money or other incentives. The payments could not be used to pay off debts.

Thomas said Senate President Joseph Montalbano and House Speaker William Murphy had given him verbal assurances in recent weeks about the tribe’s use of the money, but that he would like to get a statement in writing. He plans to contact Carcieri’s office soon about a meeting, he said.

Murphy believes “a deal is a deal,” House spokesman Larry Berman said. “The tribe should get the money.”

Any written assurances should, however, come from the governor’s offices, particularly if the tribe is seeking interpretations of the law, Berman said.

Senate spokesman Greg Pare did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The governor would be willing to review any changes in the law the Narragansetts wish to make regarding the money’s use, said Carcieri’s spokesman Jeff Neal. But only the General Assembly can change the law, he said.

“The governor has no objection to the way it’s written,” he added.

One of the tribe’s previous casino partners, Capital Gaming International Inc., has sued the tribe, arguing that the tribe’s cut of Twin River’s slot revenue triggered an agreement that demands the tribe repay $10 million in expenses.

The tribe has denied that any payments are due in motions filed in Washington County Superior Court.

Judge Stephen P. Nugent is set to consider motions for summary judgment in that case June 26.

kmulvane@projo.com