{"id":118489,"date":"2019-10-30T01:52:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T08:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=118489"},"modified":"2019-10-30T10:47:18","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T17:47:18","slug":"mgm-responds-to-dismissal-motion-in-lawsuit-over-connecticut-casino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgm-responds-to-dismissal-motion-in-lawsuit-over-connecticut-casino\/","title":{"rendered":"MGM Resorts International Responds to Dismissal Motion in Federal Lawsuit Over Joint Tribal Casino in Connecticut"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, MGM Resorts International filed its response in federal court to a motion made by the US Interior Department to dismiss the Las Vegas company\u2019s lawsuit over a proposed casino in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\"\"
MGM Resorts International, which owns the MGM Springfield casino in Massachusetts, has responded to the federal government’s motion to dismiss the company’s lawsuit. The suit is regarding the approval process for a Connecticut casino that would be owned by two tribes and located about 15 minutes from the Massachusetts venue. (Image: MGM Springfield)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier this month, the Interior Department<\/a> told a judge in US District Court in Washington, DC that the four claims MGM made in contesting amendments to gaming compacts for the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes should be dismissed. That would allow the tribes to move forward with plans for a casino in East Windsor, Conn.<\/p>\n

That casino, named Tribal Winds, will not be located on tribal ground. It is, however, a short drive away from MGM\u2019s integrated resort casino in Springfield, Mass. The $300 million project is shovel-ready and could open within 18 months of groundbreaking. The venue would house 2,000 slot machines and 120 table games.<\/p>\n

Leaders from both tribes estimate Tribal Winds would generate about $70 million in annual revenue for the state.<\/p>\n

In addition to its $960 million casino in western Massachusetts, MGM also is considering pursuing a casino in Bridgeport, Conn.<\/p>\n

Amendment Approvals ‘Unprecedented’<\/h2>\n

In responding to the motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Kevin King, the attorney representing MGM, calls the Interior Department\u2019s arguments \u201cscattershot.\u201d In one instance, he notes that the Interior Department said the amendments to Mohegan\u2019s compact were properly submitted. That was despite the department saying otherwise two years ago.<\/p>\n

This suit concerns Interior\u2019s unprecedented approval of amendments to agreements that govern Connecticut\u2019s casino-gaming market,\u201d King writes in the response. \u201cAlthough the amendments test the outer limits of Interior\u2019s statutory authority and pose questions that Interior itself describes as \u201ccomplicated,\u201d the approval decisions provide no reasoning regarding those issues. The approval decisions likewise depart without explanation from Interior\u2019s own prior rulings in the same proceeding.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition, MGM argues that the decisions Interior made in approving the amended compacts show an arbitrary decision-making process that violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).<\/p>\n

MGM, which filed the suit in August, argues the IGRA allows the government to regulate gaming only on tribal lands. The company also claims Interior officials failed to explain why they did not respond to its comments regarding the amended compacts.<\/p>\n

Tribes, State Want to Intervene<\/h2>\n

Last week, the two tribes and the state of Connecticut filed a motion for limited intervention in the case and seek their own dismissal of the suit.<\/p>\n

\n

In the motion, attorneys for all three parties said that the Department of Interior does not adequately represent their interests in the case. On the contrary, they note that federal officials initially delayed approving the Pequot amendment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During the delay, the tribes and state filed their own suit against the Interior Department, arguing that then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was bowing to MGM\u2019s lobbying on the issue. The tribes and state dropped that suit after the department approved the Pequot\u2019s amended charter.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven Interior\u2019s previous about-face, it cannot be relied upon to protect the Tribes\u2019 interest here,\u201d the parties wrote in the intervention motion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, MGM Resorts International filed its response in federal court to a motion made by the US Interior Department to dismiss the Las Vegas company\u2019s lawsuit over a proposed casino in Connecticut. Earlier this month, the Interior Department told a judge in US District Court in Washington, DC that the four claims MGM made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":118491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMGM Responds to Dismissal Motion in Lawsuit Over Connecticut Casino<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MGM Resorts International responded in federal court to a dismissal motion made by the Interior Department over a proposed casino in Connecticut.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MGM Responds to Dismissal Motion in Lawsuit Over Connecticut Casino\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MGM Resorts International responded in federal court to a dismissal motion made by the Interior Department over a proposed casino in Connecticut.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mgm-responds-to-dismissal-motion-in-lawsuit-over-connecticut-casino\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-30T08:52:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-30T17:47:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/mgm-springfield-hotel-south-end-market-exterior-with-tree.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2880\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve 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