One day after the respective tribal owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun sent a letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy expressing interest in exploring the possibility of a building a casino in Bridgeport, MGM Resorts International, which has already proposed a casino for the city, responded by challenging the state to opening the bidding process to nontribal entities.
Uri Clinton, senior vice president and legal counsel for MGM Resorts International, began a letter to the governor and legislative leaders by noting how his company has “consistently urged the state of Connecticut to establish a competitive process” for gaming rights, adding that his company and the tribes “participated in competitive processes in other states.”
At first, Clinton welcomed the tribes”™ desire to be “part of the discussion” of a Bridgeport gaming site. “There appears to be, for the first time, agreement that such a discussion is in the state”™s best interest,” he wrote.
However, Clinton shut down any notion of cooperating with the tribes by highlighting his company”™s proposal to build a casino resort in Bridgeport, citing “the partnerships we have established, and the increasing support we have earned.” He noted that “Connecticut now has a second chance to get it right,” and stated his company “would welcome the opportunity to compete for a Connecticut commercial gaming license, along with the tribes and any other interested parties.”
Throughout his letter, Clinton did not mention the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes by name, which mirrored the tribal chairmen”™s omission of the MGM Resorts International name in their letter. Neither letter provoked any public response from the governor or the legislative leaders.
