Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun ready June 1

Governor, advisers call move ‘incredibly risky’

Connecticut’s two tribal-owned casinos said Wednesday they will open portions of their entertainment complexes June 1 despite opposition from Gov. Ned Lamont and his advisers who cite the threat of the coronavirus.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe said they established safety standards and operating procedures at the Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun casinos.

“We’re proud to partner with the Mohegan Tribe to ensure we develop the most responsible plan for helping the state of Connecticut recover swiftly and safely from the crippling economic impact of this pandemic,” said Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates Foxwoods.

Lamont called the decision “incredibly risky.”

“And it’s risky for the people that work at the casinos. It’s risky for the people that go to the casinos. It’s risky for the region because you have a lot of employees who go back out into the region,” he said at his daily briefing at the Capitol.

Lamont said he’s talking with governors in the region to coordinate casino openings and that he’s aware of the economic pain in eastern Connecticut with thousands of laid off and furloughed casino workers.

“We’re going to be reasonable. We’re going to work it out,” he said.

Lamont, noting that the tribes are sovereign and beyond the jurisdiction of state regulations, acknowledged his “bully pulpit may not work.”

He said he’s raising safety concerns among workers and visitors. “We can always advise people driving into the casinos, ‘Hey, do you know that the governor has said this is not safe?’ ”

“These are the types of warnings I think I’m obligated to tell people before they take part in risky behavior,” the governor said.

Both casinos closed in March, the first time since they began operations in the 1990s, as the coronavirus began spreading in Connecticut.

The casinos said they will exceed the state’s phased guidance and safety protocols. Neither property will open its concert venues, buffets or poker rooms. Restaurants will be open for takeout only.

And tribal officials say they will use infrared temperature scanners at casino entrances and require the use of face masks by customers and personal protective equipment for employees.

Indra Nooyi, co-chairwoman of Lamont’s advisory committee on reopening businesses, said the many senior citizens who visit the casinos are vulnerable to infection. She doubts procedures established to protect the health of workers and visitors will work.

“They just think that they can create an environment where they can keep everybody safe, which is difficult to imagine,” Nooyi said.

Albert Ko, a Yale University epidemiologist and also co-chairman of Lamont’s advisory committee, said indoor spaces are more dangerous than exteriors. and visitors and employees increase their chances of exposure by extended indoor stays.

“We worry specifically about people working there,” he said, citing the possibility they may have underlying medical conditions.

Mohegan Sun said it will cater only to Connecticut and Rhode Island residents, barring marketing to New York and Massachusetts. Nooyi and Ko said gamblers will arrive from across the Northeast regardless of marketing.

“You bus people in from New York and Boston and that’s the last thing we need at this stage of the reopen,” Nooyi said.

Mohegan Tribal Chairman James Gessner said the casinos will not accept any buses, “and clearly not from New York or Massachusetts,” and will advise older customers to take precautions and stay home if they are part of an at-risk group.

The casinos have a significant economic impact. The Mohegan Sun posted slot revenue of $19.5 million in March, down 62% from the $51.1 million it reported in March 2019. Slot revenue at Foxwoods was about $14 million, a 65% drop from $40 million in the same month last year.

Thousands of casino workers have been laid off or furloughed, damaging the economy of eastern Connecticut and rippling across other businesses in Norwich and elsewhere in the region.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, and a strong ally of the tribes in the General Assembly, praised the casino openings.

“As other Connecticut businesses begin to emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown, so will the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots,” she said. “It’s time.”