MMCT Venture has dropped East Hartford, Hartford and South Windsor from consideration for the site of a new casino in the state, leaving East Windsor and Windsor Locks as the remaining contenders, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes announced Friday.

MMCT Venture has been seeking sites for a proposed jointly run a border casino to compete with MGM Resorts International, which plans to build a casino in Springfield, Massachusetts. The venture is made up of the tribes that run Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.

“We sincerely appreciate East Hartford, Hartford and South Windsor’s interest in working with us on this critically important project. They could not have been better partners,” said Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman Kevin Brown.

“After a detailed economic analysis, we’ve determined that East Windsor and Windsor Locks align best with our development models and preserve more jobs and revenue for the state. Ultimately, wherever we build this facility, we are committed to be excellent neighbors, dedicated to helping the Capitol Region succeed,” said Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Chairman Rodney Butler in a release.

Leaders of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have said their business in Connecticut will suffer once the Springfield casino opens in 2018 and the General Assembly's fiscal office is predicting Connecticut could lose $68.3 million in revenue. A recent study commissioned by the tribe claims that more than 9,000 jobs could be lost if the state does not compete against the Springfield casino project.

The tribes are working with officials in both towns to set up meetings to discuss proposals with the communities.

Silver Lane Partners, LLC, the company that propsed the East Hartford casino, announced a press conference to discuss MMCT's decision. The press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Radisson Hartford Hotel on Morgan Street in Hartford.

Published 2 hours ago