“I’m glad it’s almost over,” said Democratic House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, who has been working to broker an agreement that could satisfy members of the House. The bill still needs to be approved by the Senate before the session adjourns at midnight Wednesday. It had been crafted at the eleventh-hour to help gain support for the tribal casino bill. The House then approved a companion bill, by a vote of 77-72. Wednesday’s vote came less than 23 hours before the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its regular legislative session. The cost of the MGM Resorts property is expected to be around $1 billion. While Malloy has not advocated for a third casino in Connecticut, he has said he preferred the tribal proposal over another bill that would have opened up the process to other casino developers. The bill previously passed the Senate and now heads to Democratic Gov. The House of Representatives voted 103-46 in favor of the bill that allows the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to build a casino in East Windsor to compete with a new MGM Resorts casino in Springfield, Massachusetts. Connecticut lawmakers approved most of a legislative package early Wednesday that could lead to a new tribal casino being built in East Windsor that would compete with a casino being built by Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International.
An updated rendering of MGM Resorts International's casino in Springfield, Massachusetts.
