Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill Monday, June 22, 2015 allowing a non-tribal land casino. The new law makes it possible for the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to build a new casino in Connecticut, without needing it to be on tribal owned land. The tribes operate a casino in southeast Connecticut on reservation land. A new casino is possible; however, the General Assembly needs to approve any new casino build and license.
Malloy signed the bill despite concerns regarding the legal status of the new law. Attorney General George Jepsen raised these concerns, with regards to building on non-tribal grounds. Jepsen felt approving the bill would violate state agreements with the tribes, which could change the revenue the state earns from casinos.
The original bill was amended due to concerns. It is the amended bill Governor Malloy passed.
A potential location for the casino is the vacant Showcase Cinemas located in East Hartford near I-84. The tribes are pitching the building as a $138 million dollar project.
The two tribes are interested in the cinema land and have a couple of other project proposals in the works, in the event the cinema area is not approved. The concept for the bill that passed was to allow the tribes to compete with MGM Resorts casino.
The MGM casino is located in Springfield, Massachusetts; however, it is close enough to the border Connecticut thought they would lose state revenue across the border.
At the moment MGM is asking for a delay on their casino due to road construction. The project was set to open in 2017, but may open in early 2018 if approval is granted. The delay provides more time for Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes to submit proposals and determine the best location for their new Connecticut casino.