HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on a proposal from Connecticut’s two federally recognized Indian tribes to open smaller, jointly operated casinos to help fend off out-of-state competition.
Details of the legislation authorizing the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans to open up to three gambling halls will be discussed Tuesday at a public hearing.
Senate Democrats are pushing the bill, prompted by concerns of possible job losses once MGM Resorts International opens a $600 million casino in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2017. The tribes are also interested in opening satellite facilities somewhere along the I-84 and I-95 corridors near the New York border.
Many details of the legislation are expected to be worked out in the coming weeks.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
