MGM Resorts International announced ambitious plans Monday morning for a casino in Bridgeport’s Steelpointe Harbor area, a move the casino giant said would create thousands of jobs.
The casino can be “a major economic force, a top-tier entertainment resort, and an essential contributor to this community,” said MGM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Murren, a Bridgeport native, said in a statement provided to the media. “This project can help to turn the economic tide of this state. We just need the political commitment to make it happen.”
Under current state law, MGM would not be allowed to build a casino in Bridgeport. Casino gambling is currently limited to the two federal Indian reservations. However, the General Assembly has approved a plan for a third casino in East Windsor that would be jointly operated by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes.
MGM Bridgeport would include 2,000 slot machines, 160 table games, a 700-seat theater, 300-room hotel, retail and dining options. The state legislature would need to take action in order for the plans to proceed.
MGM would partner with the RCI Group on the project and would require the approval of the state legislature.
“The focus is rightly on the thousands of jobs that will be created, on the economic impact that will be felt by families, by the community, and by residents all across this state,” said Robert W. Christoph Sr., Chairman of The RCI Group, developer of Steelpointe Harbor, in a press statement. “That impact should not be underestimated, and cannot be overstated. What we have developed with MGM is, in so many ways, a blueprint for progress for Bridgeport and for Connecticut.”
The proposal is likely to rekindle the debate over the just how much the gambling industry in Connecticut can be sliced up and, if approved, the amount of competitive pressure it would place on the state’s two tribal casinos at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
Florida-based RCI is the developer of Steelpointe, a former industrial neighborhood. The development has moved slowly, but in 2015 Bass Pro Shops opened as the anchor store. Ground was broken in May on a second phase, a 35,000 square foot building for a planned seafood restaurant and office space.
MGM is now building a $950 million casino and entertainment complex in Springfield that is scheduled to open in fall of 2018.
During a controversial legislative debate this spring on casino expansion this spring, MGM had repeatedly said southwestern Connecticut was the best location for a casino if lawmakers were to allow expansion beyond Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
The legislature eventually approved plans by a joint venture of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods to establish a the state’s third casino in East Windsor. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy later signed the legislation
The East Windsor casino is intended to compete with MGM’s Springfield complex to preserve Connecticut gaming jobs and the funds the state gets each month from slot revenue.
MGM had fought in court the state’s move to allow Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun to jointly expand to beyond their reservations. Once Malloy signed the legislation, MGM said it was reviewing its options.
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