There is a good possibility that another casino could be developed in Connecticut, more specifically, the Bridgeport area. A preliminary decision is expected this July on the Golden Hill Paugussett Indians' application for federal recognition.
Federal recognition gives the tribe the right to open a casino.
The ancestors of the Golden Hill Tribe were among the first to meet and help European settlers in the 1640's, only to be herded onto the country's first Indian Reservation in 1659. Thousands of acres of woods and farmland were stolen from them by the newcomers in violation of British Law, and the laws of the State of Connecticut and the United States. The Tribe's application has previously encountered rejections by federal regulators who complained there was a lacking of evidence that current members are descended from a historical tribe. However, it now appears that further research into the tribe's historical genealogy, has answered many of the previously raised questions. In the past, federal recognition hinged on the ability to show clear bloodlines dating back many hundreds of years.