Connecticut | Openings & Closings

Non-Indian gaming company lashes out at Connecticut tribes

Thursday, July 16, 2015

MGM Resorts International broke ground on an $800 million casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, in March but an opening is two or even three years down the line. Photo from MGM

A non-Indian company vowed to do whatever it takes to prevent two Connecticut tribes from opening a new gaming facility near the Massachusetts border.

MGM Resorts International is building an $800 million casino in downtown Springfield, just a few miles from the state line. The facility isn't due to open for two or even three more years but the company is gearing up for a big fight.

“We’re not going to go peacefully,” MGM President William Hornbuckle said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

The New England Casino Race: Tribal and commercial gaming facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Hornbuckle did not explain how his company will try and stop the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe from pursuing another casino. The tribes are following a two-step process set up by Senate Bill 1090 to solicit bids for the new site and then secure approval for the facility.

Without a new casino, the tribes say Connecticut will lose thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenues.

Get the Story:
MGM Resorts to Take Steps to Stop Tribal Casino in Connecticut (Bloomberg News 7/15)
Threat By MGM Boss Launches Casino Border War (The Hartford Courant 7/16)