East Windsor officials said this week that two new potential sites for what would be Connecticut’s third casino are being considered. Both sites are easy to reach from Interstate 91.
The first proposed location is the former site of the town’s Showcase Cinemas and the other formerly hosted a Walmart store. The two are located near each other and east of the interstate highway. East Windsor First Selectman Robert Maynard explained that the two sites will be proposed for hosting the casino development to the Mohegan and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribes.
The two tribes and their recently formed business group – MMCT, want to build what would be Connecticut’s third casino. What is more, they want the gambling venue to be located north of Hartford and along Interstate 91 in a bid to become a direct competition to MGM Springfield.
Gambling giant MGM Resorts International is currently building a $950-million casino resort in Springfield, Massachusetts. The venue is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018. Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes hope that the state’s third casino will be completed and operational before MGM Springfield opens doors.
The first potential casino site East Windsor officials proposed was a 33-acre one at the town’s Route 5 and Wagner Lane. If approved, it would be developed by Centerplan Cos., previously appointed to work on the Hartford Yard Goats stadium project.
Mr. Maynard said that the original proposal was still supported by the town board of selectmen, but it wanted to recommend the above-mentioned two sites as well. The selectman revealed that a lot of East Windsor residents had expressed surprise why the Showcase Cinemas site had not been considered earlier.
Both the Mohegan and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribes welcomed the announcement about the two new proposals, saying that they appreciate East Windsor’s obvious determination to become part of the discussions over Connecticut’s third casino. The town is one of four municipalities that are interested in hosting the new gambling venue, with Hartford, East Hartford, and Windsor Locks being the other three.
East Windsor officials said that a referendum is likely to be held on whether the town should host a casino, provided that the two tribes show greater interest in its application. Yet, they said that more information needs to be gathered before a valid referendum question is posed. Officials need to be informed about the casino’s size, how many people it is to employ, and how its construction would impact traffic in the region.
