As lawmakers in Connecticut continue to consider two pieces of rival legislation relating to the proposed expansion of casino gambling in the eastern state, the joint venture of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has reportedly released a digital attack ad aimed squarely at competitor MGM Resorts International.

According to a report from the local Hartford Courant newspaper, the first piece of legislation being considered in Hartford would allow MMCT Venture, which is a partnership between the casino-operating tribes, to open a satellite gambling facility in the community of East Windsor. This facility is being promoted as a way to dilute the impact expected after the late-2019 opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield development being built by MGM Resorts International in neighboring Massachusetts although critics have pointed out that its inauguration could jeopardize the state’s existing compact with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.

The newspaper reported that the second piece of proposed legislation would initiate a competitive process and allow private operators to join with the state’s tribes in submitting potential bids for a third Connecticut casino. MGM Resorts International has long pushed this option and would like to build a gambling venue in south-western Connecticut around Bridgeport, which is the state’s largest city and only about 50 miles from New York City and its over 8.5 million residents.

The 30-second ad from MMCT Venture was reportedly launched a day after the tribes and workers from their Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino venues met with legislators and features a clip from James Murren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for MGM Resorts International, stating that his firm will aggressively seek to bring gambling dollars from Connecticut to the new MGM Springfield.

“I just want their money to come here,” Murren is reportedly seen to state in the short clip.

Another portion of the ad reportedly features a three-second clip of William Hornbuckle, President for Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International, proclaiming that his firm is “ideally positioned to go into Hartford and attack”.

Conversely, the ad reportedly promotes the merits of the tribes’ East Windsor plan by stating that it would “save thousands of jobs” while adding to the Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun had already “contributed over $7 billion to Connecticut” before ending with the tag line of “MGM just wants our money”.