The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations were authorised by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday to jointly develop the casino in East Windsor, which would compete with the MGM Resorts that are under construction at present in Springfield.
Malloy clarified that he signed the legislation keeping in mind the residents of Connecticut and securing the jobs in his state. He also claimed that the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations have always maintained a longstanding partnership with the state and have provided employment opportunities to the thousands of the local residents.
The tribe was given exclusive rights to casino gambling by the state some 20 years back for a 25% of gross slots revenue. They will pay 25% of the gross gaming revenue from slots and table games in East Windsor.
MGM has decided to challenge the legislation in the court.
The tribal owners of Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun, two of the world’s largest gaming resorts are authorised with the legislation to open a casino that would be visible from I-91 in East Windsor. The casino is aimed to shield the loss of clients to Massachusetts following the opening of MGM casino in 2018.