Connecticut Moves Closer to Having its Third Casino

A Connecticut Indian Tribes plan to construct a third casino in the area of East Windsor is getting a step closer.  On Monday they received the blessing of a key legislative committee.  The key legislative committee approved the bill that would ultimately allow the Mohegan and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribes to construct a very modest casino which will be located just north of Hartford in order to offset the competition that is expected from an MGM Grand resort that is being constructed in the Springfield area of Massachusetts.

Legislation Heads for Show down in the House and the Senate

The House and Senate is where the competing interest are actually backing a bill that would ultimately locate the new casino in Southwestern Connecticut, it has been stated most likely in the area of Bridgeport.  Locating the Casino in this area would allow it to tap into the New York City area market as well. 

Senator Catherine Osten, D-Sprague stated that this bill is very important due to the construction of the casino located in Springfield ran by MGM Grand.  She also stated that the casino that are located in the Eastern area of Connecticut have produced more than a billion dollars to the state since they opened.  This bill is also a great jobs bill that will provide living wages that has helped the state with increasing revenue. 

Indian Tribes Concerned about MGM Grand

The Mohegan and the Pequot tribes are very concerned that the construction of the MGM Grand Casino will ultimately siphon millions of dollars in revenue made from gaming from the resorts that are already in place and eventually cost thousands of jobs. 

The Casino that is being proposed in East Windsor is being constructed to replace any revenue that may be lost.  The Mohegan and the Pequot tribes send a total of 25% of its total slot revenue to the state. The newly proposed casino will be sending 25% of the revenue that is produced from slot gaming as well as another 25% that is produced from table gaming.