Tribal casino still on track in Connecticut despite adverse court ruling

Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and interim CEO of Foxwoods, said the tribe is planning to go ahead with the development of the tribal casino in Connecticut in spite of the court ruling against tribes in a legal dispute against the US Department of Interior. He insists that the upcoming election in the state could be a game changer for the project. The venture expects the new governor, legislature and attorney general to take quick action on the tribal casino and allow them to advance with it.

The background story goes like this. The Mohegan Sun and Mashantucket Pequot tribes’ joint venture, the MMCT, was constructing a casino in East Windsor in Connecticut. But the project was delayed because of the above-mentioned court order, in which the federal judge also blocked the final approval of the project. The MGM venue opened in August and triggered the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes’ comments on when their own project will open. Their East Windsor casino, according to spokesman Andrew Doha, was expected to be ready to operate by spring 2020, but the recent ruling has delayed its plans.