East Windsor Casino Project in Jeopardy

EAST WINDSOR, CT — The prospect of a casino being built on the site of the former Showcase Cinemas on Route 5 took a downturn Tuesday, with a statement issued by the Connecticut attorney general advising against development of the project without approval from the U.S. Interior Department.

In a letter addressed to state Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, Attorney General George Jepsen said the legislation signed in June 2017 by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, authorizing the operation of an entertainment and casino gaming facility in East Windsor, contained a condition, "that the amendments to the existing gaming agreements be approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior has not been satisfied."

Jepsen wrote that, due to the condition not being satisfied, "authorization to conduct casino gaming in East Windsor is not yet effective," and that "eliminating the federal approval condition would raise risks for the current gaming arrangements with the [Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan] Tribes."

MMCT Venture, LLC, a joint venture of the tribes, sought to build a casino in northern Connecticut to help offset construction of a $960 million MGM gaming and entertainment complex 12 miles north in Springfield, Mass.

The Interior Department has not yet acted on the gaming agreement amendment proposals, effectively preventing construction from starting. Demolition on the former cinema multiplex began in early March.

Photo courtesy of MMCT Venture, LLC

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