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Tribes in Connecticut look at multiple locations for new casinos

Friday, March 6, 2015

Artist's rendering of the new Earth Hotel at the Mohegan Sun casino. Image from Facebook

Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes are looking at multiple locations for new casinos, according to news reports.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe could open as many as three casinos. The new developments would reportedly be located near the borders with Massachusetts and New York, where commercial facilities will be opening in the coming years.

“We understand that, one, there’s competition from other states and two, the tribes have been good corporate citizens to the state of Connecticut,” Rep. Steve Dargan (D), the co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, told the Associated Press.

The Pequots and the Mohegans currently operate casinos on their respective reservations. They would need to have land placed in trust for new facilities -- both tribes fall under land claim settlements that appear to authorize additional acquisitions.

The discussion came as the Mohegans unveiled plans for a $120 million hotel at the Mohegan Sun. The 400-room Earth Hotel is expected to open in the fall of 2016.

"We are all aware of the impacts of Massachusetts and New York gaming on our facility and our future here at Mohegan Sun," Chairman Kevin "Red Eagle" Brown said at a press conference, The Hartford Courant reported. "When you're in a fight, you don't stand still. We're in a fight, and we're not standing still."

Similarly, the Pequots are looking to address the competition by joining a commercial project in Massachusetts. The tribe hopes to manage a casino for KG Urban Enterprises in the southeastern part of the state.

Revenues at Foxwoods Resort Casino have fallen 40 percent in the past eight years, according to a gaming expert whose report was quoted by The New Bedford Standard-Times.