Bridgeport’s mayor has acknowledged that his city is having what he called “strong conversations” with the state’s two tribal nations to develop a gaming facility in Connecticut’s largest city.
But at this stage, Mayor Joe Ganim said that not all the details have been worked out on any potential deal.
Ganim said on Connecticut Public Radio’s Where We Live Tuesday that any casino deal may hinge on legislation at the state level and that there’s not yet even a consensus on where it would be built.
“Nobody’s really honed in on a location – I think there’s a lot of spade work to go in," said Ganim. "Unless legislation changes, at this point it might be premature to be able to say, depending on size and scope, where it should be in the city. Although I will say, with $2 billion of investment going on [in Bridgeport] – private investment, non-casino gaming, this could be another thing that just helps create jobs, helps Bridgeport move in positive direction, and Connecticut overall.”
Bridgeport’s talks with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes come despite the city having worked with MGM on a casino concept for the past two years. MGM promised 7,000 jobs. Ganim says that the tribal casino would result in hundreds – maybe thousands – of jobs for the people of Bridgeport.
MGM provided Connecticut Public Radio with a written statement that said “conversations and proposals are certainly very fluid in the final days of the legislative session. We continue to track developments closely.”
News of the discussions broke when The Connecticut Post reported Thursday that Ganim met with Connecticut lawmakers and tribal representatives to discuss a gaming deal.
A spokesperson representing the joint tribal venture later confirmed that the city and the tribes are talking about putting a casino in Bridgeport.
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