Connecticut | Opinion

Editorial: Tribes in Connecticut unite to address casino threat

Monday, September 14, 2015

Mohegan Tribe Chairman Kevin Brown, left, and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler. Photo by Christopher Keating / Hartford Courant / Twitter

Connecticut newspaper urges Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) to continue working with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe on a new casino that will address competition from neighboring Massachusetts:

The level of cooperation demonstrated by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes in their effort to build a so-called satellite casino in north central Massachusetts shows how concerned are the tribes about the increased competition facing their respective Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun casinos.
These two tribes have long competed against each other to draw casino patrons to their respective gaming and entertainment empires. They also have some historical enmity.
But there were Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, and Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan council, shaking hands and smiling after making their new alliance formal at a signing ceremony at the State Capitol on Thursday.
The two tribes intend to build their jointly held casino on the Interstate 91 corridor north of Hartford and south of Springfield, Mass. The expectation is that casino patrons from the Greater Hartford area who might travel to a new MGM casino planned in Springfield will instead visit the closer Connecticut venue, keeping jobs and revenues in the state.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Joint tribal casino plan won't prove easy (The New London Day 9/12)

Another Opinion:
Ken Dixon: State still playing bingo with economy (The Connecticut Post 9/12)