In Connecticut, the tribal joint venture behind the plan to bring a satellite casino to the small community of East Windsor has reportedly revealed that construction on the new facility could begin as soon as the autumn.
According to a report from the Hartford Courant newspaper, MMCT Venture, which is a partnership between the casino-operating Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, is currently in the process of finalizing the design of its planned Class III casino after last week saw the Connecticut House of Representatives pass legislation authorizing the new venue.
“We’re off and running,” Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, told the newspaper while reportedly revealing that any final hurdles including regulatory approvals could be cleared “in a matter of weeks, multiple weeks.”
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority is responsible for the Mohegan Sun in southeastern Connecticut while the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation runs the nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino and their MMCT Venture enterprise has long promoted the East Windsor plan as a way to dilute the impact expected after the late-2019 opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield development being built by MGM Resorts International in neighboring Massachusetts.
After receiving legislative approval via a June 6 vote in the Connecticut House of Representatives, Governor Dannel Malloy is reportedly expected to give his final consent for the new off-reservation gambling facility later this month despite warnings that the opening of the venue may possibly jeopardize the state’s existing gaming compacts with the two tribes. The plan to open the East Windsor enterprise is additionally set to face opposition from groups such as MGM Resorts International, which has already filed a lawsuit against the proposal, and the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation and could eventually end up in court.
The Hartford Courant reported that legal action could not stop construction unless a court-imposed injun 7BALL ction is issued while Rodney Butler, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Council, stated that his tribe is “fully committed” to the project despite the prospect of such proceedings.
“We’re fully committed to this project and we’ve always anticipated that there would be some form of legal action in addition to the current one,” Butler told the newspaper.
