Lamont: Legislature should not to act on last minute casino deal
HARTFORD — The legislature should not pass a last-ditch measure for a Bridgeport casino operated by the tribes, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration said Wednesday after being largely excluded from recent negotiations.
“This 11th hour proposal has not been fully vetted or reviewed, and with only one day until the end of session, it’s not in the public’s best interest to take up this matter,” said Maribel La Luz, communications director for Lamont. “Instead of resolving outstanding litigation, it puts the state at increased and immediate litigation risk from multiple parties.”
Several legislative leaders also rejected the city and the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes’ proposal — circulated late Tuesday night — to build a small casino in Bridgeport and win exclusive rights to sports betting and online gambling.
“It looks like the state would be handing over the keys to the candy store, relative to giving the tribes exclusivity not only with the casino, but with i-gaming and sports betting,” said Rep. Joe Verrengia, D-West Hartford, chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, which oversees gambling.
The General Assembly adjourns Wednesday at midnight, but a casino deal could be revived in a special legislative session this summer. La Luz left open the possibility that the governor would support a future, different casino deal.
The city and tribes’ proposal describes a $100 million tribal investment in a casino, $100 million from the state and possibly the city for nearby infrastructure and $150 million for a resort hotel financed by a private company, that has not been selected.
The total project would bring $350 million in economic development to Bridgeport — about half the investment MGM Resorts International offered in its own casino plan.
“The idea is that the casino is the anchor,” said Andrew Doba, spokesman for the tribes’ joint casino venture, MMCT. “The goal is for an initial investment by the tribes to spur additional private development.”
But public money would be required too. A new Municipal Redevelopment Authority, a quasi-public group created in the state budget passed Tuesday, could help bond for part of the project.
Under the proposal, the tribes, who under a decades-old compact have exclusive right to run “casino games” in Connecticut, would gain the right to operate sports betting online and in person. They would also get exclusive rights to run internet casino games — although the Connecticut Lottery Corporation could expand Keno games to online.
The tribes would also be granted permission to open three “entertainment zone facilities” in other towns, where sports wagering, e-sports and other events would be held. Their casino bars could stay open later, possibly 24 hours a day.
The Bridgeport casino would be the tribes’ fourth in Connecticut — they would keep their authorization for a joint casino in East Windsor.
Tuesday night, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim and tribal leaders, including Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots, met with legislative leaders at the state Capitol, secretively distributing a one-and-aquarter page summary outlining this proposal.