Connecticut's two Native American tribes have a name and a branding campaign for their proposed joint casino near the Massachusetts state line. The project is now called Tribal Winds.
The tribes want to build a casino to compete with the new MGM casino that opened just across the state line in Springfield last year. But the plan has been stalled for years because state lawmakers required them to get federal approval.
“We haven’t just been sitting on our hands. We have been working pretty extensively to get this going. And if not for some shenanigans in D.C., it would be shovels in the ground at this point,” said Andrew Doba, a spokesperson for the tribes.
The Trump administration’s Department of the Interior had blocked the deal. However, some state lawmakers are backing a plan to pass new legislation to allow the casino without federal approval.
Doba said Tribal Winds could bring 2,000 permanent jobs to Connecticut.
“In addition to that, we’re also talking about $75 million in new revenue to the state, which given the financial situation we find ourselves in, we think could be pretty useful.”
The announcement comes before the two tribes' leaders are to update Connecticut lawmakers on the status of the long-delayed project in East Windsor Tuesday.
