The head of Connecticut's Mohegan Tribe said he remains hopeful a new casino can still be built in East Windsor, even though tribal officials announced this week now is not the time.
The two tribes operating casinos in Connecticut, the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots, had joined forces and planned to build a new casino called Tribal Winds.
The tribe has also pursued expansion into New York and Massachusetts, along with a proposed project in East Windsor. Combined, CT’s tribes generate more than $1 billion in annual slot revenue, and they return 25 percent to the state under current compacts. Local news and events from Windsor Locks-East Windsor, CT Patch. Latest headlines: Picture Windsor Locks - Then And Now; Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties; Here’s How To Save While.
But on Wednesday, they announced they were postponing the project indefinitely.
'It’s unfortunate that, you know, a global pandemic happened, and it’s just has forced us to put things on hold,' James Gessner, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, said in an interview Friday.
East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza said he wasn’t surprised by the news.
'I think it makes a lot for them to make sure they have their existing operations on solid footing before they look to expand,' he said.
Tribal Winds Casino
One possible consideration in all this: Governor Ned Lamont has indicated the East Windsor casino was complicating a potential deal on sports betting in the state.
Connecticut's two existing tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, have seen significant drops in revenue since the pandemic began.
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The slot revenues at Mohegan Sun were about 18% lower in October 2020 than in October of 2019. At Foxwoods, slot revenues declined 24% during the same period.