Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has signed a bill on Monday that will allow the first casino in the state to be built on non-tribal land.
Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes— the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans— can now issue a request for proposals from municipalities expressing their interest to host the new casino, which is intended to compete with gaming facilities in neighboring states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Representatives for both tribes have previously said that the casino would most likely be located along Interstate 91 in the north-central part of Connecticut.
The request for proposals is now to be posted on the official website of the Department of Consumer Protection for interested host communities’ review.
New Bedford Voters Approve $650M Casino Proposal
In Massachusetts, New Bedford voters have approved a $650 million resort casino plan for the city’s waterfront on Tuesday.
According to New Bedford’s official website, the voters were asked, “Shall the City of New Bedford permit the operation of a gaming establishment licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to be located on approximately 43 acres of land located off of MacArthur Drive, which land includes the former Cannon Street power station?”
A total of 11,395 people participated in the poll, and 73% or 8,355 voted in favor of the casino—that’s 21% of the city’s nearly 54,000 registered voters.
Massachusetts has already issued three casino licenses: MGM’s planned $800 million resort in Springfield, Wynn’s $1.7 billion resort in Everett and Penn National Gaming’s $250 million slot parlor in Plainville, which officially opened on Wednesday.
According to officials, the move on New Bedford’s waterfront would create more than 12,000 jobs for the area between its construction and operation.
New York-based developer KG Urban Enterprises plans to build a Foxwoods-run casino property on the site of a former power plant.
If KG Urban is granted the casino license, it would contribute an initial payment of $4.5 million plus more than $12.5 million annually to New Bedford once the resort opens doors.
Brockton voters also approved a proposed $650 million resort casino for the Brockton Fairgrounds in May—another potential location for the fourth license in Massachusetts.
