Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and leaders from the Mohegan Tribe told the Connecticut General Law Committee on Tuesday that tribal gaming has been a major economic engine for the state and for southeastern Connecticut.

Butler said Foxwoods and the tribe’s online arm, Wonder Nation, have supported infrastructure and jobs for decades and that tribal‑state partnerships have expanded since the tribes and state cooperated to roll out iGaming and mobile sports wagering. “Our sovereign status and the government‑to‑government partnerships we forge with the state have been critical to those results,” Butler said.

The tribal presentations combined economic data, development updates and requests for legislative attention. Butler said Mashantucket Pequot gaming operations have generated what he described as about $4.8 billion in contributions to the state and, combined with the Mohegan Nation, more than $9.4 billion over roughly three decades. He told the committee Foxwoods employs more than 45,100 team members plus tenant and vendor staff on its campus and that the tribe’s annual economic impact exceeds $1 billion. Butler also highlighted a near‑term private sector project adjacent to Foxwoods — the Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket — saying the lodge will include a 550‑room hotel, a 91,000‑square‑foot water park and about 600 jobs directly at the lodge when stable operations begin. He said construction spending on that project already topped $200 million.

Mohegan Sun representatives delivered similar figures and community examples. Chuck Bonnell, chief of staff for the Mohegan Tribe, said Mohegan Sun has contributed about $4.5 billion in slot revenue historically and noted recent investments in local infrastructure, including an access road and water projects. Jeff Hamilton, Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager, and Rich Roberts, president of Mohegan Digital, described tourism and employment impacts: Mohegan Sun draws roughly 6.5 million guests annually, employs roughly 5,000 people in the state, and the tribe buys more than $250 million in goods and services from Connecticut vendors each year.

Both tribes emphasized responsible‑gaming and treatment funding. Butler described responsible‑gaming tools inside operator apps — limits, cooling‑off periods and self‑exclusion — and said the tribes support research and treatment partners, including grants to academic study of responsible gaming practices. Mohegan leaders described multi‑million‑dollar commitments to problem‑gambling work and to technology that supports interventions.

Both tribal delegations also asked the legislature to clarify protections for tribal sovereignty and to remove what they called threats of “dual taxation” on trust lands. Butler said legislation that clarifies the tribes’ sovereign tax status would reduce uncertainty and support additional tribal and regional investment.

Why it matters: The tribal nations provide a large share of Connecticut’s gaming revenue and have used gaming proceeds to fund regional infrastructure, charitable giving and local employment. The committee — newly assigned to oversee gaming policy — heard both the economic case and the tribes’ policy requests as lawmakers prepare for bills affecting online gaming, taxation, and compacted authority.

Committee next steps: Committee leaders said members may schedule facility visits to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun to see operations and cultural attractions firsthand and signaled the panel will consider multiple gaming proposals this session.