Operators of Mohegan Sun, bleeding revenue this past year, are looking for another Connecticut tribal gaming location to offset competition from border states. Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa says Bridgeport needs a piece of the pie. From Brian Lockhart, CT Post:
If state lawmakers are willing to consider expanding gaming/gambling in Connecticut, “Bridgeport should be a part of it.”
So said Mario Testa, the city’s veteran Democratic Party Chairman, today in response to a published report in The Connecticut Mirror that the tribe that owns the Mohegan Sun casino is interested in developing other gaming sites in Connecticut to compete with those in Massachusetts.
It’s not that the Mohegan tribe, based in the southeastern corner, named Bridgeport as a possible location.
Full story here.
Hey Lennie, you know better than almost anyone it was Weicker who put the kibosh on casinos in Bridgeport whilst a one-term governor. That and his double-cross of Steve Wynn who acquiesced to and accepted Weicker’s allowance of a casino, but without the slots. Knowing Weicker was going to be a one-term governor was the reason Wynn accepted those terms, but Weicker thinking Wynn would walk away withdrew his offer. That was about the same time Donald Trump saw through Weicker’s lying teeth and withdrew.
A casino would have restored Bridgeport fiscally and led to a resurgence of the greater downtown area as a hub for the ferry, I95, Metro-North, and resulted in the airport being upgraded.
What a waste of political BS. And what a waste of a golden opportunity for Bridgeport to rebuild.
Bob, when John Rowland was governor the State Senate, led by the Fairfield County Gold Coast, many of them Republicans, voted against a casino for the city in 1995. Rowland couldn’t, wouldn’t, line up the votes of fellow Republicans, after supporting it publicly. So maybe something else was going on, given Rowland’s history.
Weicker was before Rowland and, in my understanding, became a consultant for the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun operations. Don’t forget he also gave Connecticut the income tax.
Bob, don’t forget about the Auto Emissions bonanza.
Why is anyone wasting their breath? Casinos are failing everywhere. Remember Jai Alai? Honestly, enough already.
Lovegrove, Nickerson and Fleming screwed this up with Rowland.
Steve–I don’t think we will have Casinos but an expansion of slot gaming in already licensed facilities. Beg to differ, but have you ever seen the revenues from Yonkers and Aqueduct?
Casinos in Bridgeport at this point is a very bad idea. 25 years ago it was a brilliant idea. Times have changed. Bridgeport would fail like Atlantic City.
Racinos!
Cockfights!
Steve–1500 slot machines in Bridgeport does not make for an Atlantic City.
Both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods would never agree to a slot operation along the 95 corridor. Both casinos are on the balls of their ass, the only way they would agree to this is if they could break the 25% compact with the State on the slot machines.
No problem with slot machines here in appropriate places.
Get the knife out of Mario’s hands. This pie is not big enough to slice it the way he wants to. He is looking to pay back 20 years of nothing happening in B’port.
Did someone say “cut?” Competition from New York and Massachusetts wipes out any chances of a Bridgeport Casino financial success. Forgetaboutit!
That means any proposal to open new gaming facilities, even if run by one or both tribes, would have to go through a complex approval process involving the legislature, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen, and the tribes. Sayers, who co-chaired a legislative task force studying regional gaming competition, issued a written release saying Connecticut “must take bold and immediate action to protect and expand our state’s gaming industry.” “We have to take all of this into account,” he said, again emphasizing the tribes currently hold exclusive rights to offer casino games in Connecticut. “We have not had any specific discussions. Sayers never wrote in her release that a facility should be developed in her home district. But she did write that state officials “can work with the tribes to identify sites throughout the state for safe, regulated gaming venues that would provide Connecticut jobs, and keep revenues here. We have not locked in on any specific locations.”
Every word that appears above will make Malloy and Blumenthief look like greater fools than they are. The two casinos are regulated by the Federal law called IGRA which prohibits gaming outside of their tribal territory. If Malloy even thinks about Bridgeport he will run into lawsuits from the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. Additionally this will sanction casino gaming in Connecticut. You cannot say yes to one and no to another when equality exists. You want a casino in Bridgeport? Then let the Paugussetts whose territory it is get a casino!!!
charlie, good points.
What makes Malloy think the two casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan, wouldn’t want a third casino at this time? They’tr both in trouble financially and maybe it’s time to revisit the compact, after all 25% of the slots machines is a hell of a lot of wampum, in exchange for a 25% share of an online gaming deal.
That would bring in more revenue than slots for the State. Maybe a 10/25 share. And the new casino would start with a 25% slot deal plus 25% online deal.
Am I the only one thinking out here?
For Malloy or the state legislature to do as you suggest, they would run into problems they would not know how to handle.
Jim,
I would like to suggest as a reader of OIB and an observer of “things Bridgeport” that you are NOT the “only one thinking out there.” You have your subject areas of interest. You have people whom you enjoy holding up to closer inspection. And you likely have an agenda that may become clear someday. And if you do not believe this is true then we can rely on the trusty closing “time will tell.”
JML, ditto!
Over a several-year period, (2007-2014), revenues to the state have plummeted from 430 million to 280 million. With the 2017 opening of the Massachusetts markets, revenues will continue to decline. charlie is correct on his Indian Gaming legal observations. However, it will be a long road to Tipperary before the BIA finally rules, with many lawsuits along the way.
The BIA will be sending over to the OMB its ‘final’ version of the new proposed rules within weeks. That will stay a maximum of 45 days. When it is returned it is posted in the Federal Register, after 30 days it will be law. The next year will bring newly Federally recognized tribes by Memorial day at the latest!
charlie, even if the state were to get a deal worked out with everyone, why would the tribe and the state want to provide Bridgeport with this windfall of money when Bridgeport has shown it CANNOT manage money?
I’m not following. The number you quoted may tell how much money the state has lost but it also tells how much the casinos have lost.
The casinos have a monopoly based on the compact. Why in God’s name do you think they are going to introduce more competition in the state they do not control?
And to everyone else dreaming of a B’port casino, Mohegan Sun is talking about a joint venture north of Hartford. No rumor of B’port.
So Charlie, I think they pretty much agree with you on the Golden Hill tribe.
It’s hard to believe after all this time, and all that happened in that regard, people are still pining for casinos in Bridgeport!!!
DavidDanielsIII, yes, it’s hard to believe but the residents of Bridgeport have been sold a bill of goods that the answer to the problems in Bridgeport could be solved with ONE big project but more important there has been no REAL vision and leadership for the City.
Ron, you’re absolutely on to something. Look at the list of potential mayoral candidates posted by OIB and find me those who can rehabilitate Bridgeport. Only two. What needs to be done is to take a ride 40 miles down I95 to New Rochelle NY and see what they did with New Roc City. That could be Bridgeport on a much larger scale. No one in this government and previous governments can think out of the box. What to do? What to do?