Mohegan Sun will apply for Palmer casino

BOSTON (AP) - The owners of the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut have found a new financial backer and are expected to apply to the state's gambling commission to build a resort in Palmer.

Mitchell Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, tells The Boston Globe the company has struck a partnership with New York investment group, Brigade Capital Management, to bankroll the development and will file its application on Monday.

He says the project would feature a hotel and spa, a gambling floor, retail stores, restaurants, and other attractions.

Don Morgan, managing member of Brigade, said in a statement that Mohegan Sun embodies "the proven model of success for gaming in New England."

Mohegan Sun was the first company to show interest in building a casino in western Massachusetts, purchasing land in Palmer before gambling was even legalized in the state. Now, however, they face competition from three other potential casino sites in the area; MGM and Penn National in Springfield and Hard Rock in West Springfield.

Only one of the four proposed casinos will get the final go-ahead from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.