US casino giant MGM Resorts filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Department of the Interior (DOI) for allegedly breaching federal rules by allowing two Connecticut tribes to build a casino in East Windsor.
In 2017, the state permitted the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes to develop a joint gambling venue. The DOI gave the green light to the Native American groups for the casino off the tribal land the following year.
MGM maintains that the federal department shouldn’t have approved the agreement because it “circumvents the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s land-in-trust process, which governs off-reservation gaming.”
The lawsuit further accuses the federal department of prohibiting tribal competitors from making a bid for an East Windsor casino.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont stated that “our state needs to reach a global gaming resolution that will avoid years and years of complex litigation.”
The news about the lawsuit come just days after a new bill was announced which would pave the way for the two tribes to build another casino in Bridgeport.