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Mohegan Sun is interested in adding a new casino location due to increased competition with casinos due to pop up in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
But Black Rock resident and roulette player Jim Fox believes the possibility of a casino in Bridgeport would be a long shot.
“Both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods would never allow a casino along the I-95 corridor,” said Fox.
Bridgeport native Steven Auerbach added, “Casinos in Bridgeport at this point is a very bad idea. Twenty-five years ago it was a brilliant idea. Times have changed. Bridgeport would fail like Atlantic City.”
But Testa told the Connecticut Post, "It will create some jobs that will benefit Bridgeport." He also said a casino might not be appropriate, but said the city should look at adding slot machines. (Read the Connecticut Post story here.)
The issue of building a casino has percolated in Bridgeport since the early 1990s. A casino was a goal early in the administration of Mayor Joe Ganim. Donald Trump was interested in the project and bought the shuttered Jenkins Valve Co. property in the South End as a potential site. A citywide referendum in 1995 was overwhelmingly in favor of the project.
However, most Fairfield County officials opposed to the plan, mainly because of traffic congestion on I-95, and the casino dream died in the state legislature. Trump was stuck paying taxes in Bridgeport and ultimately sold the property to the city for $1. The site is now the home of Harbor Yard and the Bridgeport Bluefish.
The Golden Hill Paugusset Indian tribe, which has land claims in Bridgeport, sought federal recognition for its tribe in the hopes of building a casino here but were ultimately denied.
According to the CT Mirror, the owners of the Mohegan Sun casino hasn’t fully developed any proposal, or settled on a specific location, but it does see a new $800 million casino under development in Springfield, Mass., as keen competition.
Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan tribe, said, “The competition is on. The competition has begun."
Read the full story here at the CT Mirror.
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