The deadline for towns or other entities to submit their casino proposals to the state’s two federally recognized Indian tribes has come and gone.
On Friday afternoon the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, which have teamed up to open a casino in the Hartford region, said they have received a total of five proposals.
The proposals came from East Hartford, East Windsor, Hartford, and Windsor Locks. A spokesman for the joint tribal entity said two proposals were submitted from Windsor Locks. The Bradley Airport Authority and Sportech, which owns the off-track betting facility in Windsor Locks, have publicly expressed interest in hosting a casino. The town of Windsor Locks voted against submitting a proposal. Enfield, which had shown interest in possibly siting a casino in town, appears to be out of the running.
But the city of Hartford is the newest entrant in the casino sweepstakes.
Outgoing Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said the city is always looking for opportunities for significant capital investments.
“It is our understanding that gaming is a probability for the greater Hartford region and regardless of the location, the capital city will feel its impact,” Segarra said, in a statement. “For this reason, we have responded with our own proposal to keep that door open so that the next administration and the residents of Hartford will have the opportunity to weigh in on the process and make a final determination of what is in the best interest of the city.”
“This process began to preserve thousands of jobs and millions in revenue which will leave Connecticut, the loss of which MGM has repeatedly acknowledged is necessary to make their project in Springfield a success,” said Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council. “As members of communities with deep ties to this state, we’re simply not going to let that happen without a fight. With this phase complete, we can now begin to engage interested parties and save Connecticut jobs.”
Pearce Real Estate, a Connecticut-based real estate company, administered the request for proposals and will evaluate them for the tribes.
The tribes expect to make a selection by Dec. 15.
