Schagthticoke tribe threatens to sue over East Windsor casino

Richard Velky, chief of the Kent-based Schagthticoke Indian Tribe, said a major casino resort in southwestern Connecticut would generate far more revenue than a smaller one in East Windsor and more than replace money the Pequots and Mohegans now pay the state.

“A closed casino process ties Connecticut to an unreliable funding source that under the best scenario would likely continue to sink like a stone,” Velky said in a morning statement.

The bill passed 24-12 and heads to the House with two weeks to go in the legislative session. Its support there is not assured, however, since lawmakers including the Bridgeport delegation would like a shot at siting a casino in that city.

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

The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes said the vote gratified their two years of effort in finding a site to save state casino jobs and keep gambling revenue in-state.

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.

The Schagthiticoke’s are backed by MGM Grand: the tribe lacks federal recognition and the ability to operate a casino.