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A legislative vote on casino expansion in doubt, the tribal operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Thursday pledged to guarantee slot revenue payments
to the state if their proposed joint expansion to East Windsor is backed by lawmakers.
Legislators are worried about the loss of slot revenue — expected to total $267 million this year,
that comes to the state each month under a decades-old agreement that gives the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans the exclusive right to
operate casinos in Connecticut.
The expansion — a strategy to dilute the competitive threat of a $950 million casino under construction in nearby Springfield,
could legally threaten the slot revenue sharing agreement. Attorney General George Jepsen has warned the agreement could be in peril even if it is the tribes
themselves pursuing the opening of what would be state's third casino.
Casino Proposal Progresses But Not Without Issue
A proposal from the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans to build a casino in East Windsor is progressing, but not without issue.
The tribes are seeking to update the original agreement with amendments that take into account the third casino. Tribal leaders visited with legislative leaders in Hartford to reassure
lawmakers they are confident the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will approve the changes. But if the agency doesn't,
the current, 25 percent share of slot revenue will still come to the state, they said.
Kevin Brown, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, and Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation,
both said in a news conference at the Capitol that they are highly confident that the tribes will be backed by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"In the history of the BIA, they never have revoked a compact,'' Butler said.
Construction of the MGM Springfield Casino is well underway and is on target for a September 2018 opening.
Seth Stratton, Vice President & General Counsel, comments on the progress and plans for further development in the downtown area.
Brown agreed, saying, "It's slim to none – the chances that they would rule in a way that would be against what we're trying to do.''
A legislative vote on casino expansion in doubt, the tribal operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Thursday pledged to guarantee slot revenue payments
to the state if their proposed joint expansion to East Windsor is backed by lawmakers.
Legislators are worried about the loss of slot revenue — expected to total $267 million this year,
that comes to the state each month under a decades-old agreement that gives the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans the exclusive right to
operate casinos in Connecticut.
The expansion — a strategy to dilute the competitive threat of a $950 million casino under construction in nearby Springfield,
could legally threaten the slot revenue sharing agreement. Attorney General George Jepsen has warned the agreement could be in peril even if it is the tribes
themselves pursuing the opening of what would be state's third casino.
Casino Proposal Progresses But Not Without Issue
A proposal from the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans to build a casino in East Windsor is progressing, but not without issue.
The tribes are seeking to update the original agreement with amendments that take into account the third casino. Tribal leaders visited with legislative leaders in Hartford to reassure
lawmakers they are confident the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will approve the changes. But if the agency doesn't,
the current, 25 percent share of slot revenue will still come to the state, they said.
Kevin Brown, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, and Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation,
both said in a news conference at the Capitol that they are highly confident that the tribes will be backed by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"In the history of the BIA, they never have revoked a compact,'' Butler said.
Construction of the MGM Springfield Casino is well underway and is on target for a September 2018 opening.
Seth Stratton, Vice President & General Counsel, comments on the progress and plans for further development in the downtown area.
Brown agreed, saying, "It's slim to none – the chances that they would rule in a way that would be against what we're trying to do.''
