Although officials involved in the deal would not reveal specifics about the proposed casino, they noted that the gaming facility would mirror the first phase of the Mohegan Sun casino in Ucansville, CT, and therefore would total approximately 600,000 sf. The Mohegan Sun facility, which was completed in October 1996, cost $303 million to develop.
"It has long been the goal of the Tribe to re-establish a presence in our ancestral homeland in New York," says Robert Chicks, Tribal President of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. "Pursuing this project will enable us to achieve that goal in a way that will be beneficial to all New Yorkers."
Despite a recent court ruling that shifts the regulatory approval power for Indian casino gaming from Governor George Pataki to the New York State Legislature, Chicks is bullish on the tribe's casino development venture. "As a tribe, we are fully committed to this effort and together with Trading Cove, we are confident that we can make this project a reality for our people and the people of New York State," Chicks adds. "Our decision to retain a developer with a successful track record like Trading Cove reflects the Tribe's intention to create a world class gaming facility in New York State."
The Stockbridge-Munsee anticipates that the New York casino project will build upon the success of the Tribe's North Star Casino on its Wisconsin reservation. Since its opening in 1992, casino revenues have enabled the Tribe to improve the quality of life for its members as well as the surrounding communities. Prior to 1992, the unemployment rate for tribal members was 68%. Today, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band is the number one employer in Shawano County, tribal officials note.
Len Wolman of Trading Cover relates, "We are very excited to be a part of the Stockbridge-Munsee project in New York. Our aim is to help the Tribe achieve its economic goals by duplicating the success we have had in Connecticut. This project will act as an economic engine, not just for the Tribe, but for the entire Catskills region, much in the way that Connecticut's casinos have benefited that state."
He relates that in 2000, Connecticut derived $142 million from the Mohegan Sun Casino. In addition to Mohegan Sun Casino, the principal members of Trading Cove New York have developed Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas and Sun City and Lost City in South Africa.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
