A Shore Thing? Tribes Offer Slots To Bridgeport As Compromise To Approve Third State Casino

In the final week of the state legislative session, compromises abound to get things passed. Will this one pass? In this case slot machines in Shoreline Star, operated by Sportech, on the East Side. From the Hartford Courant:

The tribal operators of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun are offering legislators a $25 million upfront payment and would agree to place slot machines in off-track-betting parlors in Waterbury, New Haven and Bridgeport as part of a deal to establish the state’s third casino in East Windsor, according to a source familiar with the on-going negotiations.

The source said adding slots to the off-track-betting venues was a suggestion raised by House Democrats in their caucus. The $25 million would be credited to future revenue-sharing with the state after the third casino opens, the source said.

In addition, the source said the partnership of the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans–MMCT Venture–would not participate in open bidding that is also being considered by the state legislature.

… The offer from the tribes drew swift criticism from MGM Resorts International, which has pushed the open bidding approach to get the best deal for the state of Connecticut.

“This latest ‘offer’ from MMCT is not an ‘offer’ to pay the state a one-time licensing fee,” Uri Clinton, MGM senior vice president and legal counsel, said. “It’s an ‘offer’ to loan the state $25 million. That’s right, it’s loan.”

Full story here.

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10 comments

  1. Let the Competitive Process begin!

    I just hope that our State Senators didn’t paint Bridgeport (the poor sister city of this State) into a corner.
    Bridgeport can use three casino’s, open the RFP to all the competitive casinos and stop the litigation’s .

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  2. Commercial casino for the future sovereign tribes of East Windsor???
    So let me get this straight, Mohegan and Foxwoods are willing to allow Slots Machine for at all the parimutuels in Connecticut, as long as they control all the gaming in our State.
    Commercial Gaming should be an open and fair process!

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  3. Bridgeport, once again, cannot be left at the Gaming Altar in the state of Connecticut. Our 2017 legislative session has two competing and compelling bills on the table. The gaming honeymoon in Connecticut is over with increased competition from surrounding states resulting in major market leakage and revenue.

    In Bridgeport, and the state, we need jobs, tax relief, and an economic engine to jumpstart and accelerate the heavily invested and state financed Steel Point project

    One solution would be to allow slot machines at our pari-mutuel facility, The Shoreline Star, operated by Sportech in Bridgeport. Sportech has the exclusive Connecticut rights for pari-mutuel wagering and is a publically traded company. This location is the former home of Bridgeport Jai-Alai and has a 40 year plus gaming history. This location does not represent a geographic expansion of gambling. It would only broaden the gaming menu at their location in Bridgeport. Sportech should not be left out in the cold and frozen out of the 400 existing jobs that they provide in Connecticut.

    Furthermore, unlike “full casinos”, this location would present a convenience gaming type experience with slot machines, existing pari-mutuel wagering , tastefully wrapped around food and beverage. This location situated at the crossroads of Southwestern Connecticut provides for the already in place transportation infrastructure of roads, rail and ferries. The adverse impact on traffic, if any, would be modest. This convenience gaming experience will provide for a start to finish evening in Bridgeport coupled with our outstanding Bridgeport attractions.

    This pari-mutuel/slot gaming concept will pay immediate dividends with jobs and create ancillary jobs in the Bridgeport region and our state. It is a plug and play facility already wired for this type use. Additionally, it is an economic development project that will not require any state tax credits or state loans.

    Almost 25 years ago Bridgeport got the short end of the croupier’s gaming stick. This solution would be a win, win for all parties through this mutually agreed concept. We don’t need to roll the dice.

    Let’s Hit the Jackpot! Let’s go for the “Shore Thing” for Bridgeport and Connecticut!!

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  4. Bridgeport-AND BRIDGEPORTERS-keep on beating and beating this poor old dead horse. Time to move on. If you are an old geezer and keep on posting on OIB about bringing casino/gambling to BPT..you are doing a disservice to your children by this Trojan Horse. If any of the OIB-posters like gambling,just get into your car and go to the present sites that offer faux-Las Vegas experiences and have fun. The fact that the present Connecticut Casinos have a downward revenue decline and business model is a huge red flag. Some here on OIB want to ignore that red flag.This is a dead end.

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  5. The slot interests have ulterior motives. Their “slot compromise” legislation will allow them to create a huge increase in their revenue base without any significant increase in property tax liability. That doesn’t help Bridgeport or any other municipality and it won’t help the state very much.

    As has been pointed out; the tribes have had their honeymoon. They failed to nurture and husband their incredible, pre-depression (2008) profits, and now aren’t prepared to compete with the big-boys off of the reservation. The people of the rest of the state can’t afford to be sympathetic to this situation. Had the exerted business foresight and prudent management, they would be in a situation to compete with any world-class gambling interests on Connecticut turf… Like any business, they have to live with their past decisions and present reality.

    With the corporate exodus from Connecticut resuming in earnest, the state has no choice but to secure whatever viable jobs/revenue/investment capital sources that it might. Right now, a competitive casino process is our best bet. A huge casino development in Bridgeport, as the only real option for the state’s largest city, is imperative for the city and the rest of the state… The Windsor “whisper” answer to Springfield’s MGM roar will be counterproductive for the rest of the state…

    Bridgeport development is key to the growth of the rest of the state. It will create and free-up state revenue for the rest of the state even as it breaks the Stamford/southwest-wedge stranglehold on the state’s economic development and business expansion…

    In this context, a competitive casino bidding process that would allow a large casino development in Bridgeport is a mandatory step in the stabilizing and resurgence of the Connecticut economy. With the loss GE and Aetna within a single year, the writing is not only on the wall, we are watching the wall crumbling before our eyes (we missed the writing 40 years ago…).

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  6. Don’t people realize that Bridgeport is just being thrown a bone called slots. How many jobs do you really think this is going to bring. I say no to gambling that boat has already left.

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