\u201cWe\u2019re ready to go when you are,\u201d Brown responded when asked how soon after final approvals are granted the tribes could start construction. He confirmed the foundation cannot be built until temperatures are warmer, but said the project would take between 18 and 24 months to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLawmakers also questioned the projected $70 million a year from taxes on gambling revenue at the off-reservation site. Brown insisted the tribe \u201cstand(s) by\u201d that estimate.<\/p>\n
The East Windsor casino was approved by state officials in 2017. The tribes — working as the MMCT Venture, a business partnership — have already spent about $14 million on the project. The property is cleared and now sits vacant, unoccupied since movie theaters on the site shut down more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n
To gain support, the tribes are highlighting the number of jobs that will be created by the new casino — 5,000 direct or indirect employment opportunities during construction and after opening — at a time when Connecticut’s economy remains sluggish.<\/p>\n
Casino Deluge<\/h2>\n
State Sen. Dennis Bradley (D-Bridgeport) cautioned that the gambling market in southern New England is already \u201csaturated,\u201d given the new casinos that have opened in Massachusetts. But Brown responded that another casino would create \u201cincremental demand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both MGM and the tribes also are interested in opening a casino in Bridgeport.<\/p>\n
Each of the two tribes operate a casino on Connecticut reservations, and they have a gaming exclusivity agreement as part of their compacts. The state receives about $250 million a year from a 25 percent tax on slot revenue at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A tribal casino proposed for\u00a0non-sovereign land in East Windsor, Connecticut finally has a name — Tribal Winds — but the gaming venue may have to wait as it faces continuing legal and regulatory roadblocks. Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal leaders have also reaffirmed their commitment to build the $300 million satellite casino (so-called because it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":97455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,18,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Connecticut\u2019s Planned Tribal Winds Casino Project Still Up in the Air<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n