June 8, 2017

Rep. Hall Brings Support Funding to Communities Around Proposed Casino

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HARTFORD – State Representative Carol Hall (R-59) recently commented on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of bringing a casino to East Windsor, Connecticut.

The proposal before the House, S.B. 957: An Act Concerning The Regulation Of Gaming And The Authorization Of A Casino Gaming Facility In The State, is twofold in that it (1) regulates the operation of a casino gaming facility in Connecticut and (2) authorizes MMCT Venture, LLC, to operate a casino gaming facility in Connecticut subject to certain conditions.

Through previous actions taken by MMCT Venture, LLC, the combined Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes’ venture company, East Windsor was selected as the site for the joint venture casino.

An additional aspect of the proposal includes a $750,000 payment annually, over and above the already allocated Pequot funds to the neighboring municipalities of Enfield, Ellington, South Windsor and Windsor Locks. Rep. Hall was instrumental in the process of securing this language – ensuring that the neighboring municipalities are to be compensated for the inevitable stresses associated with the nearby casino.

“Securing funds for the neighboring communities was extremely important to me as these negotiations proceeded during these last few months,” said Rep. Hall. “I represent the section of East Windsor where the casino will be physically located, but I also represent the neighboring community in Enfield. I want to ensure that Enfield has the necessary resources to deal with whatever impact may come as a result of the new casino. I worked very closely with fellow Representatives on this very issue. I owe a special thanks to Senator Cathy Osten (D-19) in particular who worked very closely with me to make sure my concerns were addressed with this impact grant.”

In addition to the underlying bill, the House voted on an amendment that would effectively send the proposal to be voted on in a town referendum. “It would have been great to see this proposal go before the residents of East Windsor, but our proposed amendment unfortunately failed,” continued Rep. Hall.

S.B. 957 had previously passed in the Senate and last night passed through the House by a vote of 103-46. The bill now waits to be signed into law by the Governor.