A bipartisan group of lawmakers from around Connecticut announced Wednesday they’ve crafted a wide-ranging compromise bill that could lead to two new tribal casinos in the state and legalized sports betting.
The legislators unveiled the proposed Connecticut Jobs and Revenue Act, a 37-page bill that requires the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to spend a minimum of $100 million on an entertainment and gambling facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populous city. The planned casino would be an “anchor” for additional private development.
The tribes would still be free to build a casino in East Windsor, just across the state line from MGM Resorts International’s Springfield casino and intended to compete with the facility. MGM Springfield has successfully drawn marketshare from the tribes’ Connecticut casinos since it opened less than a year ago.
In return, the tribes, who own and operate two large resort casinos in southeastern Connecticut, would be authorized to conduct sports wagering at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, as well as through mobile applications, online and other locations in the state.
“We all are very interested in growing Connecticut jobs and Connecticut revenue and we believe that by working together we can do the best that we can for the state of Connecticut,” said state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, noting that the bill would create jobs in different regions of Connecticut by allowing “entertainment zones” in Hartford and two other yet-to-be announced locations where the tribes would offer sports betting.
Gov. Ned Lamont expressed concern with the draft legislation. While he acknowledged there are elements of the bill he believes could work, Lamont suggested the bill might lead to legal challenges, including from MGM Resorts, which opposes any legislation that grants exclusive gambling rights to the tribes. Proponents of Osten’s bill said they wouldn’t be surprised if MGM sued. A message was left seeking comment with MGM.
Connecticut lawmakers have been debating a possible casino in Bridgeport for years. Most recently, the city’s delegation has pushed for legislation that would allow other entities to develop a casino besides the tribes, which currently have exclusive casino gambling rights in the state in exchange for providing the state 25 percent of their slot machine revenues. MGM has said it wants to build a more than $500 million facility in Bridgeport, a move that would risk the state’s share of slot revenues.
The chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots and the interim chairman of the Mohegan welcomed the legislation. In a joint statement, they said the draft bill “takes us one step closer” to preserving the state’s “historic partnership” with the tribes and they look forward to continuing discussions with Lamont and state lawmakers.
