Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker weighs in on Connecticut's bid for third casino
Should Massachusetts be worried as Connecticut moves to open a new casino in East Windsor?
Asked about the topic on Tuesday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said MGM views Springfield as a "really good site," given that the site is located at a major intersection and has a sizable population within a 45-minute drive.
"And MGM has said all along, to us anyway, that they feel very good about the site, they feel very good about the plan and they fully expect that they're going to be successful no matter what happens," Baker told reporters when asked about the third casino planned for Connecticut.
The joint Mashantucket Pequot-Mohegan tribal company picked East Windsor earlier this week, arguing that it could act as a bulwark for state revenues. A spokesman for MGM called the agreement with East Windsor a "bad deal."
The existing Connecticut casinos are Foxwoods, which opened in 1986, and Mohegan Sun, which opened 10 years later.
Massachusetts lawmakers signed off on expanded gambling in 2011, allowing the creation of up to three casinos and one slot parlor.
Plainridge Park Casino, the sole slot parlor, opened in June 2015, while MGM Springfield is slated to open in 2018, and a Wynn Resorts casino in Everett, north of Boston, is scheduled for 2019.
"I think the MGM people are pretty happy with what they're up to and with that site in particular and have always maintained to us that they really like where they are and they think that site in particular has a really big future," Baker said Tuesday.