HARTFORD — A tribe in western Connecticut has joined forces with MGM to fight a state law that allows only two federally recognized tribes to pursue a new casino in the state.
A federal lawsuit announced Monday by the leader of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation says the state law is unconstitutional.
The law created a multi-step process for the tribes that own the Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun to build a third casino together.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe say they want to compete with the planned MGM Resorts casino across the state line in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The MMCT Venture, which is a company formed by the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes to create the third casino, released a statement on the news of the Schaghticoke and MGM team up: “After weeks of not returning phone calls from reporters, Chief Velky finally revealed that his operation is being bankrolled by MGM. This startling revelation — which according to the chief was a year in the making — should raise a red flag for anyone who is concerned about MGM’s plan to steal jobs from Connecticut residents.”
MGM also has challenged the state law, arguing it can compete to build a casino in Connecticut but was excluded by the law.
