An official from the US Department of the Interior recently recommitted to a statement made in 2016, saying that a third casino built in Connecticut would not have any impact on the revenue sharing agreement with the state’s two officially recognized tribes that currently run the casinos.
Third Connecticut Casino a Possibility
Currently, there are only two tribes in the state of Connecticut, which are the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort. The casinos are owned and operated by the state’s two Native American tribes, the Mohegan Tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot. Currently, there is an agreement in place with the tribes and the state, whereby the casinos pay 25% of the slot machine revenue over to the state every year.
Back in 2015, a proposition was put forward by the two tribes to build a third casino in Connecticut. This new casino would not be built on the reservation land of either of the tribes. The idea was to build it in the northern parts of Connecticut, to compete with the MGM casino resort. Which is currently under construction in Springfield, and is set to be completed in 2018.
The letter from the US Department of the Interior was written in 2016 and stated that the existing agreement would not be harmed or affected in any way, should a third casino be built. Officials have since reconfirmed this. However, they warned that this was not to be seen as approval for the proposition.
How to get the Third Connecticut Casino
Should the tribes decide to officially go through with their plan, they will need to get permission from state legislature, before presenting a formal proposition to the Department of the Interior. The state remains undecided on whether to allow a third casino to be constructed and there has been a fair amount of opposition from several different groups. MGM has been one of those opposed to the plan, as it has wanted to open a casino in Connecticut for some time now, but has been unable to, due to the tribe’s exclusive rights to operate casinos.
