Indian Country Today Media Network – September has been a terrific month for the two Connecticut tribes vying for casino-resort licenses in Massachusetts. And it’s a good thing.
The Palmer Town Council unanimously approved Mohegan Sun MA’s proposal for a copy-billion resort-casino and ratified a Host Community Agreement on September 3. A referendum vote that would take the plan to townspeople is set for November 5. The tribe has pledged copy5.2 million in annual payments to the town, as well as an additional $3 million up-front payment. “We would double the town’s tax base which amounts to copy,200 per person in town,” says Chuck Bunnell, Mohegan Tribe Chief of Staff, “as well as upgrading Palmer’s infrastructure – water, roads, utilities.”
“We’re very optimistic about the referendum. We’ve had an excellent relationship with Palmer over the past four years, and the town has approved past referendums on gaming,” Bunnell says.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe upped its commitment of annual payments to the town of Milford from copy8 million to $31 million just days before the town selectmen signed a Host Community Agreement with Foxwoods MA on September 9. A referendum vote could come as soon as mid-November. If the casino plan gets voter approval, the next step would be getting the town to approve a zoning change, according to Stephen Oakes, a spokesman for Foxwoods MA. If the referendum vote fails, the plan is essentially dead, says Oakes, but he believes the hard work that has gone into planning will pay off.
Both Connecticut tribes, according to Moody’s Investors Service badly need a “Massachusetts miracle” in the form of a casino license. In an August 13 report, Moody’s wrote, “Gaming revenue in the two-casino Connecticut gaming market has been on a steady decline for two years. Mohegan, operator of Mohegan Sun, and Mashantucket, operator of Foxwoods Resort Casino, saw combined gaming revenue at their Connecticut casinos decline 10.2 percent in the 12 months ended June 30, compared with a year ago.”
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