It's taken a lot longer than expected but Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes are close to announcing a site for a potential new casino. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe had hoped to select a location in December 2015 but the process has dragged amid political and legal concerns. Now they are ready to ask state lawmakers to approve the new facility. "There is draft language in the hands of the legislature," Mohegan Chairman Kevin Brown told the Associated Press. "We have to get it passed this session. We are at the 11th hour." The tribes are hoping to build the new casino near the Massachusetts border. They say they need to counteract competition from a $950 million commercial facility under construction just a few miles from the state line.
The tribes believe they can open a modest casino ahead of the one in Springfield, Massachusetts. MGM Resorts International, a non-Indian company, plans to debut its project in September 2018. The tribes operate casinos on their respective reservations but saw their revenues fall dramatically after the national economic recession in 2008. They have struggled to recover as gaming options have expanded in New England and on the East Coast. Read More on the Story:
Location Of Third Casino To Be Announced In Coming 'Days, Not Weeks Or Months' (The Hartford Courant 2/23)
Tribes renew pitch for third casino, say they’ll name site in days (The Connecticut Mirror 2/23)
Lawmakers Debate Exclusivity of Tribal Gaming Expansion (CT News Junkie 2/23)
Casino revenue would stop if tribes don’t build next casino (The Connecticut Post 2/23)
Little new ground broken in third-casino debate (The New London Day 2/23)
Connecticut tribes 'days away' from unveiling casino site to compete with MGM Springfield (MassLive 2/24)
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