In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed a package of bills that would ultimately allow a third casino to be built in East Windsor. Casino employees of the two existing casinos in Connecticut rally this week in order to gain support for third casino plan. The Mohegan’s and the Mashantucket Pequot’s already operate one gaming venue each within the state of Connecticut on tribal lands. The tribes that own Connecticut's two casinos are taking another step in their bid to open a third casino north of Hartford. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes hosted a signing ceremony.

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Connecticut is well underway with regard to its plans for opening a 3rd casino, however the location for that casino has yet to be determined. State legislators are currently hearing pitches from potential operators in an attempt to decipher the best, most strategic location for this new site.

The location of the casino is an incredibly important because it is going to be inserted directly into the bill. Having said that, a bill that would pave the way for a third casino has not even been drafted yet. Until a location can be determined, Connecticut’s 3rd casino will remain nothing more than a nice idea.

Hearing Pitches From Casino Operators

Joe Verrengia is the co-chair of Connecticut’s public safety and security committee, and he is going to play a major role in this bill-drafting process as his committee oversees state gaming operations. He recently commented on the process by saying, “We haven’t drafted a bill yet, and even before we think about drafting a bill and have a public hearing, we need to get feedback from all the stakeholders and put all the options on the table.”

The stakeholders which he is referencing are representatives from Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, which will also play a vital role in determining the best location for a third casino. In addition to representatives from Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, 2 Native American tribes (the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation and the Golden Hill Paugussetts) as well as MGM will also partake. MGM is involved because they are currently constructing a gaming operation in Springfield, Massachusetts that will open next year. Being that Springfield is located close to the Connecticut border, it is only right that they are let in on the planning process.

Right now, the only 2 casinos in Connecticut are owned by Native Tribes. These licenses were awarded after long, arduous legal battles. In order for a 3rd casino to be built in Connecticut, a lot must be done from a legal standpoint. The reason for this is due to the fact that, if Connecticut allows an outside operator, the two tribes that currently have casinos will be released from paying taxes to the state. For Connecticut, this would mean the $200 million in taxes earned each year would vanish, seemingly overnight. Of course, the goal of this legislative process is to get Native tribes on board with the idea of a 3rd casino. If they are on board, Connecticut can not only retain the tax revenue they are receiving currently, but also increase it.

At the present moment in time there are a lot of unknowns surrounding this situation. Seeing as a bill has not even been drafted yet, it is safe to say we are a good ways away from a 3rd Connecticut casino. The real takeaway from all of this is the clear alteration of opinion in New England. Only 20 years ago the region was, quite clearly, opposed to gambling of all sorts. Nowadays, however, that much is beginning to change, and fast.

Casino employees of the two existing casinos in Connecticut rally this week in order to gain support for third casino plan.

The Mohegan’s and the Mashantucket Pequot’s already operate one gaming venue each within the state of Connecticut on tribal lands. The two groups came together some time ago in efforts to create a third casino in the state, this time not on tribal lands. The new venue would be located in East Windsor, yet the tribes cannot seem to garner any support for their plan. Reportedly, this week, employees of both tribal operated casinos rallied at the state capitol in order to gain support.

State Capitol Rally

Employees associated with the two gaming venues of Connecticut took to the state capitol on Wednesday to rally in support of the plan to create a new casino in East Windsor, off tribal lands. The two federally recognized tribes of the state would be working together to operate the venue and would use the space as a way to combat the incoming competition from MGM Springfield, a gaming venue in the works in Massachusetts. MGM Resorts is spending $950 million to create the integrated resort.

Officials of both tribes have tried to point out that the MGM facility will hit the casino industry hard once the gaming venue is open. The tribes feel that as many as 9,000 employees or more could lose their job once the MGM Springfield casino opens. The state has until late 2018 until the venue will open.

Both tribes have urged the Legislature of the state to provide the necessary approvals for their project so they can begin work and see the new venue come to fruition by the time the MGM Springfield resort opens or at least a short time after. The East Windsor location will reportedly keep jobs in the state as well as much-needed revenues.

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More about East Windsor

The community of East Windsor is located just twenty minutes from Springfield. The new casino by the tribes would cost about $300 million to create and would be located on the site of the former Showcase Cinema. Once operational, the tribes have stated that the gaming venue will provide 25% of their slot revenues to the state. The same share is currently paid by each tribe and their respective gaming venue.

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When it comes to the matter of the casino, there are several bills on the table for legislators to consider. One bill would allow the project to continue in East Windsor and another would start the process all over again by allowing outside operators to vie for licensing. A third measure would see the construction of a tribal casino in the northern region of the state and a commercial option in the southwestern region.

If the measure that calls for a bids to reopened, the tribes could lose their right to operate a joint venture. A new operator could win the licensing, such as MGM Resorts International, the company behind the new Massachusetts venue. They have shown interest in operating within the state.

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Legislators basically have until June 7^th to make a decision before the current legislative session ends. Right now, according to Joe Aresimowicz, the House Speaker, the tribes have about a 50/50 chance of holding on to their right to the third casino of the state.

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Only time will tell who will be able to bring a third venue to Connecticut or if a new gaming venue will ever come to fruition. One would imagine some type of decision will come before the June deadline.