In a game of chess with Connecticut state officials and Indian tribes over the creation of a new tribal casino near the Massachusetts border, MGM Resorts International appears to be three steps ahead of them.

Even before Connecticut state officials pop the celebratory champagne following the dismissal of the lawsuit filed by the casino resort operator against them last Friday, MGM has been secretly lobbying for the approval of a little-noticed amendment that will block tribes that run casinos on tribal reservations from opening commercial casinos in the same state.

The amendment, reportedly sponsored by Nevada senators Dean Heller and Harry Reid, will not only put the third Indian-owned Connecticut casino project – which is a direct competitor of MGM in the state – in jeopardy but will also unfairly limit all of Indian tribes’ opportunities.

To the relief of the Indian tribes, the controversial amendment filed with a military bill failed to come up for a vote.