Smoking Ban Battle Heats Up at Mohegan

We've talked before about the possibility of smoking bans eventually spreading to tribal casinos. Here's an excerpt from an article discussing the upcoming battle taking place in Connecticut.

From Indian Country Today
"The Mohegan Tribe has threatened to withhold millions of dollars of slot revenues and sue the state all the way up to the United State’s highest court if the legislature passes a bill banning smoking in Connecticut’s two Indian casinos.

Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum and Mohegan Attorney General Helga M. Woods wrote letters to Gov. Jodi Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal March 25 saying the proposed bill violates tribal sovereignty, is unconstitutional and a breach of the tribal-state gaming compact.

The letters were in response to House Bill 5608, titled “An Act Concerning the Issuance of Liquor Permits to Casinos that Permit Smoking in Such Premises.” The bill would essentially hold the casinos’ liquor licenses hostage by refusing to renew the permits unless the tribes sign an agreement with the governor to totally ban smoking from their facilities. The bill was initiated by Blumenthal in February.

Both the Mohegan Tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot prohibit smoking in around 90 percent of their facilities and have installed state-of-the-art ventilation systems in the restricted smoking areas of their casinos."

For the complete story, please see Gale Courey Toensing, Mohegan promises smoking ban battle all the way to high court, Indian Country Today, March 31, 2009.