A controversial bill to allow two federally recognized Connecticut Indian tribes to build a casino outside their reservation won the approval of a key state legislative committee on Monday.
Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe are the owners of two of the world’s largest casinos – Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun. They are concerned about competition from an MGM Resorts International casino that is scheduled to open in Springfield, Massachusetts, next year. So they are seeking state approval to build a jointly-owned third casino off their reservations in nearby East Windsor.
Senator Paul Formica, an East Lyme Republican, is one of the lawmakers, who voted to approve the off-reservation casino to preserve jobs.
“Whether we are proponents of casino gambling I think or not, the opportunity to protect what we have, I think is an important consideration.”
Opponents who voted against the bill included Representative Fred Wilms, a Norwalk Republican, who opposes gambling.
“While I hear all the positives of gambling, unfortunately there is a very dark reality that’s very negative. And there’s enormous social cost that occurs to five to seven percent of our population.”
The bill now heads to the General Assembly for action. A couple of months ago, State Attorney General George Jepsen issued an opinion warning lawmakers that allowing an off-reservation casino in Connecticut without an open-bid process could make the state vulnerable to a legal challenge.
