Connecticut tribes launch campaign for East Windsor casino

The joint venture of the tribes launched a new campaign for a casino under a new name.

US.- The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes have been lobbying for a casino to compete with the MGM Springfield facility in neighbouring state Massachusetts, and their latest attempt include the launch of a new campaign under a new joint venture called Tribal Winds Casino.

The proposal is expected to support 2,000 construction jobs, 2,000 staff jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs that will support vendors. This plan directs at least 650 jobs for local residents of Hartford, East Hartford, East Windsor, Windsor Locks and other areas. The casino is expected to generate US$75 million a year in tax revenue to Connecticut.

Rodney Butler, tribal council chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots, operator of the Foxwoods Resort casino, said: “We’re talking about the next phase of this development, to save jobs, bring more revenue to Connecticut. The project is shovel ready. We’d be there were it not for the roadblocks in Washington, D.C.”

While MGM Springfield representatives claim that their operations are going according to plan, it is believed that the Connecticut tribes have overestimated the impact that the Massachusetts casino would have in their finances. However, revenue is expected to decline to US$219.2 million by the 2022 budget year in Connecticut.