A year ago Mohegan Sun made a big P/R splash, announcing an exclusive three-year partnership agreement with the city-owned Webster Bank Arena involving concerts, sporting events and sponsorships. It was a spin to gain a footprint in the city amidst a battle between Connecticut’s two tribal nations and MGM over a proposal for a commercial gaming destination in Bridgeport, a face-off that will resume in the upcoming legislative session in January.
What’s happened since that announcement promise last year? Crickets.
Mohegan Sun, along with Foxwoods, enjoys a gaming monopoly in the state–25 percent of the slot take to Connecticut for gaming exclusivity–albeit dwindling economic benefits to Connecticut taxpayers.
They’ve made lots of promises to support Connecticut, to support Bridgeport, right? The 10,000-seat arena is a magnificent venue that was unfortunately used as a stunt.
Now comes a report that Mohegan Sun says it is “willing to buy the $2.5 billion Encore Boston Harbor casino if Wynn Resorts is found unsuitable by state regulators–a move apparently aimed at giving the Gaming Commission an easy out from its high-stakes dilemma.”
Mohegan Sun has done nothing in Bridgeport, but willing to invest that kind of dough in Massachusetts while clinging to a gaming monopoly in Connecticut.
From the Boston Herald:
“If that determination finds Wynn Resorts unsuitable to hold a gaming license in Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun is prepared to participate in a process that would assign that license to another operator–and enter into negotiations with the appropriate parties to acquire the facility under construction in Everett,” the company told the Herald in a statement. “Mohegan Sun has always believed it is the best choice as gaming operator and license holder for a Region A resort casino, and will be committed to opening the Everett facility in a timely manner should it get the opportunity.”
Mohegan has held initial meetings with at least one neighboring community to say the company would be interested if Wynn’s license is stripped, and that it intends to honor existing surrounding community agreements that Wynn has negotiated. Mohegan has also told the Gaming Commission it would be interested in the license.
But Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria yesterday rejected the idea of Mohegan Sun taking charge of the casino. Everett has said its agreement with Wynn Resorts gives it the ability to approve or reject the sale to a new company.
Full story here.
They speak with forked tongue while eating with two forks. How?
The casino game was off the table after immediately upon Gold Coast Ned’s official gubernatorial win… Bridgeport will be kept as it is for at least the next decade… Maybe with a few more temporary pocket parks on vacant industrial sites awaiting more UI power-supply infrastructure, or possibly more fuel cells plans to feed the “regional” grid, or maybe a Dollar Store or Taco Bell — or even another industrial equipment storage site for Stamford Wrecking (so that they’re well-positioned to tear down a BHA site or two…).
The Tribes see opportunity in Boston. If they buy-up the GE stock when it reaches 50 cents/share next year, they can locate expansion needs on GE’s Boston Harbor HQ site, to use I conjunction with Wynn’s site, and have the new world’s largest casino complex in Boston and just mothball all of their Connecticut property — or turn it into massive pot farms/processing facilities…
Good luck with balancing the budget and saving the cities, Ned… (Maybe you should consider building a wall around Greenwich…)
Ok folks it’s time for a plan “B” .
MGM says they have a great plan for Bridgeport. As soon as they announced the purchase of the Yonkers Raceway property,I knew that MGM was lying and absolutely no one should believe them. Joe Ganim got duped by them. MGM will never build anything in Bridgeport. It’a all part of the gaming/sports gambling dynamic being worked out the Lower New England/Mid-Atlantic States. The Christoph’s got fooled by MGM. Hopefully,in 2019,The Christophs will see the light and start a more realistic approach to “Steelgate.”
MGM says a lot of things, Frank. They will never build a casino here. It is just a bait-and-switch game.