HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Attorney General George Jepsen is warning Connecticut officials not to assume a planned tribal casino in East Windsor can open without formal federal approvals.
In a legal opinion released Tuesday, Jepsen says legislation passed last year by the General Assembly still requires the U.S. Department of Interior to approve proposed amendments to the revenue-sharing agreement between the state and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes before their new border casino can open.
With no federal approvals yet, the state and tribes have filed a lawsuit, claiming the amendments were “deemed approved” under federal Indian gambling laws.
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Jepsen says making that assumption and allowing the casino to open could risk the underlying revenue-sharing deal, which grants Connecticut 25 percent of the slot machine revenues generated at the tribes’ two existing casinos.
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