Lawyers representing the US Interior Department have affirmed that the bureau was right at issuance of clearance for the construction of two casinos in northern Connecticut.
MGM filed an appeal against the decision at federal court based in DC in August. MGM claim that the Interior Department official didn’t follow the Connecticut agreement between the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and Mohegan Indians.
Under the amended compact, the two Connecticut tribes will be allowed to build two casinos in non-tribal land located in East Windsor. The tribes are expected to invest up to $400 million for the planned Tribal Winds Casino which will house 2,000 slots machines and about 120 table games.
The Interior Department wants the appeal to be dismissed on the ground that the amendment isn’t violating the exclusive tribal gaming right set. The state is authorizing construction of commercial gaming facilities wholly owned by Mohegan and Pequot tribes.
Interior Officials Say They Can Reconsider
According to Casino.org, tribal leaders’ officials accused Interior Department official of delaying Pequot compact ruling. The approval was made one year after the amended compact was submitted. MGM now argue that when the federal officials reviewed the application, they violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
MGM further assert that amendment will pave the way for tribal gaming finally becoming commercial gaming monopoly. At the moment, there are two operating casinos in Connecticut, the Mohegan Sun and Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino. MGM has also shown the interest of constructing a $675 million casino resort in Bridgeport.
MGM Springfield Struggling
Even without competition nearby, MGM Springfield hadn’t attained what they forecasted in 2018 when they were opening the business.
September was the worst month for the gaming property this year; they generated $19.9 million in gross gaming revenue.
Pequot and Mohegan tribes believe that Tribal Winds Casino will generate about $70 million annually to the state. The groundbreaking for the two casinos is yet to be announced. Still, the tribe official expects that the venues to be operational two years after the inception of construction.
