OFFICIALS AT ODDS OVER DUELING CASINOS
Tribes look to challenge new MGM resort
The specter of a competing casino just miles away in Connecticut has one top Springfield official fretting about a brewing war over gambling revenues months before the cards are even dealt.
“Obviously we would rather not have it, but they are intent to take customers from our market,” said state Rep. Bud Williams (DSpringfield). “It’s very troubling. This has been on the back of my mind as a legislator, because the casino here was built based on a certain market.”
Officials from Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes this week announced that they are close to selecting a location for a casino near the Massachusetts border. The two prospective sites — in East Windsor and Windsor Locks — are each less than an hour away from the MGM Resorts International casino opening in late 2018 in Springfield.
“It appears that there is a unified front right now in Connecticut,” Williams said. “I don’t like it. It makes me kind of nervous.”
Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, told reporters this week that the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes will need Connecticut’s General Assembly to pass legislation this session in order to break ground on the state’s third casino.
The tribes own and operate Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and say they need a third to do battle with the new $950 million MGM gaming palace.
“There is draft language in the hands of the legislature,” Brown said. “We have to get it passed this session. We are at the 11th hour.”
The two tribes joined forces more than a year ago and say the casino would cost about $200 million to $300 million to build.
Some Springfield politicians weren’t concerned with the prospect of a nearby casino, saying the MGM project will dwarf whatever facility the tribes attempt to hastily put up.
“Unlike other gaming establishments which have the ‘in the box’ mentality, this again is a very creative ‘out of the box’ development and not a glorified slots parlor,” Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said, in a statement. “I’m confident in MGM and I’m confident in the firstclass product that they’re putting forth.”
When asked whether the mayor was comparing the proposed Connecticut casino to a “glorified slots parlor,” Sarno’s spokeswoman said: “Yes.”
Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos also said he has faith that the MGM brand will stand out.
“MGM is a recognizable name with a long history, and history shows that they have been successful,” he said. “I am not too concerned. I think the MGM Springfield project is unique and it will attract people regardless of whether there’s competition.”
MGM declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The casino giant is arguing in a federal appeals court that it has a right to challenge a Connecticut statute “that grants valuable casino-development rights exclusively to two of MGM’s direct competitors.”