Airport touts hotel as spot for new tribal casino in Connecticut

Thursday, January 28, 2016

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

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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) Related Stories:
Opinion: Connecticut puts too much focus on a new tribal casino (1/21)
Connecticut tribes see mixed results in slot machine revenues (1/15)
Site identified as potential location for tribal casino in Connecticut (1/6)
Tribes in Connecticut delay decision on host for potential casino (1/5)
Tribes in Connecticut report stable returns on slot machines (12/17)
Connecticut tribes delay decision on host community for casino (12/14)
Tribes in Connecticut increase slot payouts as competition grows (12/07)
Non-Indian firm wants to join tribes for new casino in Connecticut (12/4)
Connecticut tribes consider proposals for third gaming facilty (11/25)
Connecticut tribes report declines in slot machine revenues (11/17)
Dan Haar: Tribal casino a bad idea for airport in Connecticut (11/12)
Connecticut tribes receive five proposals for joint casino (11/9)