The tribal operators of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun Friday would not commit to an exact date for construction of a jointly-run casino in East Windsor, having missed the target of the end of last year.
“I would certainly say it is fair to say in the first quarter of this calendar year,” Felix Rappaport, president and chief executive at Foxwoods, said Friday. “What you’re likely to see in the early part of 2018 has a lot more to do with demolition and site preparation.”
The Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegan tribes won approval in last year’s regular session of the General Assembly to establish a “satellite” casino off 1-91 on the site of a long-abandoned movie theater. The tribes together had formed MMCT Venture and purchased the theater property.
Meanwhile, MGM Resorts International’s $950 million casino and entertainment complex in Springfield — which the East Windsor venue is supposed to compete against — is on track to open in September. MGM already is conducting job fairs and will soon be training casino dealers.
In a joint interview with The Courant Friday, Rappaport and Mario Kontomerkos, chief executive of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, declined to comment on whether the lack of a clear approval from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs would delay construction beyond demolition and clearing the East Windsor site.
“We have the best experts politically and legally to handle our side of the question,” Rappaport said. “And I believe we are on the right side of the question.”
The casino expansion legislation signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy requires BIA approval that the satellite casino does not violate existing slot machine revenue-sharing agreements with the state, which brought $270 million to state coffers last year.
In a Sept. 15 letter, BIA — part of the U.S. Department of the Interior — did not issue either an approval or denial. In a lawsuit, the tribes and the state of Connecticut argue that the lack of a decision either way means that amendments incorporating the third casino are “deemed approved” under federal law.
The lawsuit seeks to force publication of the BIA letter in the Federal Register so the amendments are “legally effective and enforceable.”
“We are moving forward because we believe we are on the right side of history, and that’s it,” Kontomerkos said. “And so, unless that changes, which we doubt, we continue to move forward as fast as we can.”
We are moving forward because we believe we are on the right side of history, and that’s it. — Mario Kontomerkos, chief executive, Mohegan Gaming & EntertainmentRappaport said it is not unusual that a development project does not adhere to initial timelines.
“Even under the best of circumstances, it is often difficult to take a complex project and all projects of this magnitude are complex and have it be right on time,” Rappaport said.
Kontomerkos and Rappaport said MMCT has hired an architectural firm, JCJ Architecture of Hartford; a general contractor, Tutor Perini Building Corp., based in California; construction manager Bertino & Associates, of New Jersey; and marketing firm Cronin of Glastonbury.
“Everyone we’ve brought in has experience in hospitality or gaming or resorts or a combination thereof because, at the end of the day, this project will be symbolic of Mohegan and Foxwoods,” Rappaport said.
Cronin, he said, has been working on a name, brand and logo for the new venue.
MMCT still needs one more zoning approval from the town of East Windsor for specifics of what it plans to build. Those plans have not yet been submitted to the town, East Windsor officials said this week.
A casino in East Windsor was intended to the compete with MGM to keep gambling revenue in Connecticut as well as jobs tied to the industry.
Certainly, MGM will open far in advance of East Windsor, by many months.
“Just because they open first, doesn’t mean they will have a superior location, I think we will,” Kontomerkos said.
Rappaport said there is no doubt MGM is building a “bright, new shiny project.”
“There are going to be some people who are going to test it, try it and they’ll get offers that will lure them to Springfield,” Rappaport said. “But we feel very confident that the reasons that people who have gone to Foxwoods and Mohegan over the years will bring them back.”
While the final numbers are still being worked out, the East Windsor casino is expected to cost about $300 million, with 2,000 slots, 100 or more gaming tables, plus dining and entertainment options.
Rappaport said the venue will be an attractive for investors who will finance the project.
MMCT still faces opposition from MGM who has vowed to fight construction in the courts. MGM also is seeking to block the lawsuit involving BIA.
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