Officials from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe, the two federally recognized tribes on the territory of Connecticut, attended a hearing held by the Public Safety Committee on Tuesday concerning the state’s gambling industry.
Tribal leaders discussed with state legislators the potential opening of at least one new casino, which is to be jointly operated by the two tribes. Otherwise, Connecticut risks losing about 18,000 jobs once MGM Springfield opens doors in neighboring Massachusetts in two and a half years.
The aforementioned figure includes jobs at both Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, the gambling venues operated by the tribes.
According to data, presented by tribal officials, about 11,000 people worked for Mohegan Sun in 2007 and 12,000 were employed at Foxwoods. By comparison, both casinos now employ about 7,000 residents of the state each. And as it seems, this number is likely to drop further in the years to come.
Kevin Brown and Rodney Butler, chairmen of the Mohegan Tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, respectively, emphasized on the fact that two long-standing competitors are now ready to work together for the well-being of the state’s gambling industry and those employed in the sector.
As previously reported, state officials are considering the opportunity to pass a bill that would allow the tribes to launch no more than three new gambling venues on the territory of Connecticut. The tribes, in turn, have expressed interest in building a casino on the state’s northern boarder as soon as possible, so as to be able to blunt MGM Springfield’s competition, once the latter opens doors.
Executives of other gambling operators that provide their services in Connecticut shared their concerns that the new casinos will have quite a negative impact on their operations. Anne Noble, the current president and chief executive of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, and Ted Taylor, president of Sportech Venues, a chain of 15 pari-mutuel gambling facilities across the state, were among those who did not seem happy with the potential launch of casinos.
The proposal, however, had its supporters as well during the Tuesday meeting. Owners of local businesses, municipal and labor leaders were among those.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, too, was asked about his opinion on the potential establishment of new casinos in the state. He commented that he was fully aware tribes suggest this would create new jobs for Connecticut’s residents. Gov. Malloy promised that he will pay special attention to their arguments. Yet, he warned legislators that the proposal might be an attempt for the expansion of the gambling industry, rather than a means for blunting the competition from neighboring states.
Apart from the Springfield casino, other two are currently being built in Everett and not far from the Rhode Island border. What is more, Connecticut also needs to cope with competition from New York, which has recently expanded its gambling industry and is to expand it even further.
