The tribes that operate the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos fired back Thursday at the MGM president, who vowed to block construction of a Hartford-area gambling venue that would compete with MGM’s Springfield casino.
Mohegan Tribe Chairman Kevin Brown and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler issued a joint statement, after MGM Resorts International president William Hornbuckle launched the volley at Connecticut in a Bloomberg News story Wednesday.
Brown and Butler said Connecticut shouldn’t be surprised by Hornbuckle’s threat because MGM has consistently stated it would target Connecticut residents.
“Simply, this is about siphoning revenues from Connecticut to benefit a Las Vegas company while at the same time moving thousands of existing jobs from Connecticut to Massachusetts,” the tribal leaders said. “That’s why the tribes, the legislature, and the governor have committed to developing a solution that protects Connecticut.”
Connecticut enacted legislation this spring that helped clear the way for a third casino in the north-central part of the state, near Springfield. It would be operated jointly by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, whose sprawling gambling complexes in southeastern Connecticut have come under increasing competitive pressure.
The back-and-forth amounts to a border war, though neither Hornbuckle nor other MGM executives have said what the company would do to block a Connecticut casino.
Skirmishes between Connecticut casino advocates and MGM Springfield erupted into a border war Wednesday when Hornbuckle told Bloomberg News that MGM was “contemplating our options” concerning the Hartford-area casino.
Hornbuckle noted: “We’re not going to go peacefully.”
MGM would not elaborate or make him available for an interview Wednesday or Thursday. But the company didn’t back down, either.
Alan Feldman, MGM Resorts executive vice president of global government and industry affairs, criticized the Connecticut legislation as unclear with many unanswered questions.
“Many Connecticut residents will want a say if casinos are to be placed in their neighborhoods,” Feldman said in an emailed statement. “The tribes should be prepared to pay for traffic impacts and other development costs and, finally, businesses may feel left out of a potential business opportunity by having an exclusive, no-bid process.”
Feldman — echoing comments made by some lawmakers who opposed the legislation — said more casinos in Connecticut won’t protect Connecticut jobs.
MGM broke ground in March for the casino in downtown Springfield — during which CEO Jim Murren criticized the Connecticut plans — and is now asking gaming regulators to allow a delay in the opening by about a year, from a planned late 2017 opening to 2018. A major reconstruction project on nearby I-91 will mean too much traffic congestion.
Three towns — East Hartford, East Windsor and Enfield — have expressed interest in the new Connecticut casino.
One developer, Anthony Ravosa, president of The Vince Group in Glastonbury, has already drawn up a plan for the long-abandoned Showcase Cinema property near I-84 in East Hartford.
“We obviously have their attention,” Ravosa said. “MGM will stop at nothing to stymie Connecticut’s efforts.”
MGM is counting on traffic from Connecticut to support needed revenues for the Springfield casino, Ravosa said.
Ravosa said MGM could help finance opposition campaigns in towns that are interested in the casino.
“They are going to fight tooth and nail because they have a major commitment with the city of Springfield,” Ravosa said. “This puts a real damper on their project.”
