An effort by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations to build a casino near the Massachusetts border has been indefinitely shelved.
The proposed Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor would have been the first Connecticut gaming destination existing outside of tribal lands.
Originally proposed in 2017, it was initially planned to open in early 2021 as a $300 million project. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes ”“ which respectively operate the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos ”“ planned to operate the new casino as a joint venture called MMCT.
However, the project’s progress hit several obstacles; first, the U.S. Department of the Interior”™s Bureau of Indian Affairs delayed approving amendments to Connecticut”™s gaming compacts for the construction of the facility on nontribal land. After approval was finally granted, MGM Resorts International ”“ which operated a rival casino resort across the Massachusetts border in Springfield ”“ sued the Interior Department in federal court by claiming Connecticut would not allow it into a competitive bidding process for a gaming license, even though state law does not accommodate casino operations by nontribal entities.
Gov. Ned Lamont also attempted to scuttle the East Windsor project last year by offering the tribes exclusive right to Connecticut-based internet betting and approval for a casino in Bridgeport if Tribal Winds was jettisoned. The tribes rejected the governor”™s offer.
Both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun were closed from mid-March through early June to halt the spread of Covid-19. Since reopening on a limited capacity basis, the casinos have recorded steadily diminishing slot revenues.
“We”™ve been through so many ups and downs when it comes to the Tribal Winds project,” the tribes said in a joint press statement.
“There have been many moments where it was clear the easiest path would be to just walk away. And while there”™s no way we could have accounted for this latest delay, we still believe Tribal Winds is a viable project that will come to fruition once markets improve and we”™ve taken concrete steps toward restoring normal business operations.”
