Artist's rendering of a proposed casino to be jointly operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe in East Windsor, Connecticut. Image: Teeton Architects / CT Jobs Matter

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Connecticut tribes sign new gaming agreements to account for new casino

Thursday, July 20, 2017

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe are another step closer to opening a new casino in Connecticut.

The tribes already won approval to operate a jointly-owned facility in the city of East Windsor. But since the development impacts their federally-protected Class III gaming rights, they signed new agreements that will be sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for review.

There is no guarantee that the BIA will sanction the agreements. But the Trump administration has already indicated that the new project and the tribes' existing casinos can co-exist without violating the exclusivity promised to the two tribes.

The tribes pursued the East Windsor project outside of the framework of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act so federal approval isn't needed for it. The site won't be taken into trust either.

The New England Casino Race: Tribal and commercial gaming facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The tribes chose East Windsor due to its proximity to the Massachusetts border. A $950 million commercial facility is going up just across the state line.

The tribally-owned facility and the Massachusetts facility are both expected to open in late 2018. MGM Resorts International, the non-Indian developer of the rival project, is still hoping to derail the tribes.