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Tribe Drops Lawsuit Challenging Conn. Casino Law

Patrons playing craps at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Patrons playing craps at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn

 

Patrons playing craps at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn
Credit AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Patrons playing craps at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn

TheSchaghticoketribe sued the state of Connecticut in March in response to a law that created a process for the state’s two federally recognized Indian tribes to open a new casino.

The Schaghticoke, who are based in Kent, say they’ve been unfairly treated. They’re not federally recognized like the Mashantucket Pequot or the Mohegan tribe. In 2015, the legislature voted to give the tribes the option of joining forces to seek a potential site for a casino outside their reservations. Lawmakers would still have to approve that casino.

In a statement, Schaghticoke Chief Richard Velky said they’ve decided to focus their attention on Connecticut’s 2017 legislative session, when they think they can get the state to reverse the law. Velky says it violates the constitution by not giving his tribe a fair and equal right to open its own casino.

The lawsuit had the backing of MGM, who plans to open a casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2018. They also sued the state. Their case has been thrown out, but they’ve since appealed. 

Copyright 2016 WSHU

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

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