A group of lawmakers from Bridgeport and New Haven has introduced state legislation intended to bring a casino to Bridgeport, repeating an effort that fell short last year in the General Assembly.
The measure calls for a competitive bidding process to be established for a resort casino “that would allow the state to choose a development with the most economic impact to the state.”
Lawmakers also are again considering authorizing the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans to move forward on a joint plan to build a casino in East Windsor to compete with the $960 million MGM Springfield casino and entertainment complex.
Rep. Ezequiel Santiago, D-Bridgeport, and a sponsor of the competitive bidding legislation, said it does not single out Bridgeport as a site for a casino. But the state’s largest city is well-suited for a gambling and entertainment center because of its access to I-95 and Long Island Sound, he said.
“That market is not saturated,” Santiago said. “It’s open to the New York City and Long Island markets.”
A similar measure passed the state House of Representatives last year, but failed in the Senate.
Santiago said he believes chances in the Senate are better this year. Backers of a Bridgeport casino fought and won a key committee assignment: Newly elected state Sen. Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport, has been seated as Senate chairman of the public safety and security committee, which has jurisdiction for casino legislation.
In addition, Santiago said several senators who opposed or were indifferent to casino expansion were defeated in last November’s elections.
Backers of a casino in southwest Connecticut aren’t focusing on efforts by leaders of the two tribal casinos to build at East Windsor, he said.
“That’s not our business,” Santiago said. “We want to make sure our gaming infrastructure is ready for the next 20 years.”
MGM Resorts International has proposed a Bridgeport project that includes a casino and 300-room hotel on a site with access to an Amtrak rail line, I-95 and ferry service to the Long Island town of Port Jefferson, N.Y.
MGM did not respond to a request for comment Thursday on its plans.
In addition to its Springfield, Mass., site, MGM Resorts closed Wednesday on its $850 million purchase of Empire City Casino and Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, N.Y., just north of Manhattan.
Andrew Doba, spokesman for MMCT Venture LLC, the joint venture of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes looking to develop the $300 million East Windsor site, questioned how reliable MGM would be in developing a Bridgeport site because it has so far generated less revenue at Springfield than it projected.
“Why does anyone take them seriously?” he said.
Michael Mathis, president and chief operating officer of MGM Springfield, has defended the casino’s operations, saying the market is growing with more than 15,000 visitors a day at the resort casino.
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Council, and Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, said they “have been clear each and every time this proposal has been put forward.”
The tribal officials said they do not support a proposal “that puts the government-to-government relationship between their tribes and the state at risk.”
“If this bill is about ‘the best deal for Connecticut,’ we are already providing it; if this bill is about development in Bridgeport, we are prepared to discuss it,” they said.
Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
