Airport touts hotel as spot for new tribal casino in Connecticut


The Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport in Connecticut. Photo from Facebook

An airport in Connecticut is hoping to convince the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe to open a casino there.

The Bradley International Airport is offering to open an interim casino at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel. Kevin Dillon, the executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, believes the facility could be open within six months if the tribes select the site.

"We do believe it could be up and running relatively quickly," Dillon told The Hartford Courant.

A permanent casino would then be built at a different part of the airport property, the paper said. The plan could help the tribes beat a non-Indian competitor in neighboring Massachusetts to the market.

MGM Resorts International is building a $950 million commercial is under construction in downtown Springfield but it's not due to open for another two years. Springfield is only a few miles from the Connecticut-Massachusetts border and about 20 miles from the Bradley airport.

The tribes, however, still must seek approval from the Connecticut Legislature for the new casino. They had planned to select a site by now but are still considering five proposals, including the one from the airport authority.

Get the Story:
Official Envisions 'Interim Casino' Within Six Months At Airport Sheraton (The Hartford Courant 1/28)
Gaming could occupy rooms at Sheraton Bradley (The Hartford Business Journal 1/28)
Bradley Airport pitches 'interim' casino to open before MGM Springfield (MassLive 1/28)

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