On Monday, May 4, 2015 Mohegan Sun and Foxwood Tribal Chiefs and gambling bosses spoke with the local Hartford, Connecticut council about their plans for building a casino. The two tribes indicate the project is urgent and may save 9,300 jobs.

Kevin Brown, the chairman for Mohegan Sun, stated, “This is about allowing an industry to remain competitive. It is not a last-ditch effort, it’s a smart move.”

This was in response to thoughts that the casino was a knee-jerk reaction after MGM was awarded a build in Springfield. Brown wants to see three new casinos run by tribes in Connecticut including the one in Hartford. They are also looking to build in Enfield. The proposed plans are to compete against the  MGM mega resort currently in the construction phase.

The MGM resort is an $800 million project set to open in 2017. The tribes would like to make certain they are able to keep revenue coming in as well as supply jobs. The tribes are also looking at competition from New York when  other casinos begin to open as soon as 2019. There are other casinos slated for Massachusetts too. The combination of out of state casinos will remove approximately $703 million of revenue from Connecticut according to studies. It could take as many as 9,300 jobs and indirect jobs including about 5,800 casino positions. Slot machine revenue could become $100 million per year instead of the current $280 million.

Foxwoods Resort Casino stated it is about the jobs and economic impact on the state. A northern Connecticut casino could help with the loss. The CEO for Foxwoods also stated they spend $120 million a year through approximately 650 vendors.

Losing casino revenue because there is not a casino nearby northern Connecticut towns would mean more revenue for other states.