Connecticut Senate approves East Windsor casino proposal

There were two competing bills working their way through the General Assembly. One to allow the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to build in East Windsor and the other to open the process to any interested entity.

According to a report published by the Hartford Courant, the measure still requires approval by the House of Representatives and Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

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The bipartisan bill crossed party lines as bothRepublicansandDemocratssupported and opposed the measure.

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The tribes have paid the state USD 7B since 1993 under the terms of agreements in which Connecticut granted gaming exclusivity to the tribal casinos, Foxwoods Resorts and Mohegan Sun, in return for annual payments equal to a 25 percent share of gross slots revenues.

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Proponents said the USD 300M satellite casino would create more than 1,200 permanent, middle-class jobs.

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They add that the construction would stop gamblers from crossing the Massachusetts line for a nearly $1 billion casino that is under construction by MGM Resorts International in downtown Springfield.

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Tribal leaders hailed the vote, saying it comes following support from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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The Senate took us one step closer to saving more than 9,000 jobs and millions in state tax revenue," Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Chairman Rodney Butler said.