Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks could join an East Hartford site as a potential location for a third Connecticut casino, even as the target of such a development — the $800 million resort casino under construction in Springfield, Mass. — continues to shrink.

MGM Resorts International has filed design changes calling for a 14 percent reduction in the Springfield casino’s square footage, a downsizing that comes on the heels of MGM’s plan to eliminate a 25-story hotel tower.

At a press conference Tuesday in Springfield, Michael Mathis, the MGM Springfield president, said “90 percent” of the proposed reduction in the casino’s square footage involved “back-of-house space.”

The changes, listed in a filing with the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs, include a 26,800-square-foot reduction in retail space, an 8,200-square-foot reduction in the size of a bowling alley and a 10,400-square-foot reduction in the size of a cinema.

The reductions would be partially offset by increased food-and-beverage space and the addition of an arcade. A proposed parking lot would be reduced by one level to seven stories, with a loss of 387 parking spaces.

Earlier Tuesday, Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, confirmed Bradley International’s interest in responding to the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes’ request for casino proposals.

Hoping to fend off competition from MGM Springfield, the casino-owning tribes formed a partnership, MM4CT Venture, to pursue a “satellite” casino between Hartford and Connecticut’s northern border.

“The CAA is very interested in submitting a proposal to the recently issued RFP from the MM4CT Venture,” Dillon said in a statement. “The airport represents a very viable location because of its significant levels of passenger traffic, and the CAA believes a casino can be incorporated into improvements that are being advanced for the terminal campus area.”

Dillon noted that the state law authorizing the tribes’ request for proposals states that responses must come from municipalities.

“The way the legislation was written, the CAA will need the Town of Windsor Locks to work with the airport on the submittal," he said. "The CAA has asked the Town of Windsor Locks to consider working with us on a proposal, but the Town has not yet ruled on advancing a proposal.”

Steven Wawruck Jr., the Windsor Locks first selectman, said Dillon is to make a presentation to the Board of Selectmen next Tuesday.

On Tuesday night, East Hartford’s town council was to consider whether to submit a casino proposal, as expected.

Town officials have been working for months with developers proposing to convert a former Showcase Cinemas building off Interstate 84 to a casino.

Other towns could also submit proposals by a Nov. 6 deadline. The tribes expect to choose one of the proposals by Dec. 15. Ultimately, the state legislature would have to approve a project when it convenes next year.

In Enfield, the management of Enfield Square Mall pitched a casino proposal that recently met with considerable public opposition.

On Tuesday, Lee Erdmann, the acting town manager, said in an email, “The town council has not authorized me to proceed so I expect the town of Enfield will not be submitting a response to the RFP.”

Tony Ravosa, the Glastonbury businessman who lined up the development team pursuing the East Hartford site, was confident Tuesday that the East Hartford council would authorize Mayor Marcia Leclerc to move forward with the town’s proposal.

Ravosa said the East Hartford plan, first presented months ago, has been “tweaked” to increase the proposed development's visibility from highways and to create “a bigger bang.”

While Mathis, the MGM Springfield president, insisted that the tribe’s efforts to pursue a northern Connecticut casino have had nothing to do with the Springfield project’s design changes, Ravosa said he believes the changes are “absolutely a response” to what’s happening in Connecticut.

“It’s not surprising to me at all,” he said. “I’ve talked to many gaming companies, many of which contended from the start that Springfield could not support more than a $500 million to $600 million build.”

A spokesman for the Mohegan Tribe said the tribe would not comment on the most recent developments regarding casino proposals and projects.

MGM has filed a federal lawsuit against Connecticut officials, contending that the state law authorizing the tribal partnership is unconstitutional.

MGM has asked the court  to declare the law invalid, order Secretary of the State Denise Merrill to revoke the tribal partnership's registration as a business entity and order Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris to remove the partnership's RFP from the department's website.

The state has asked that the suit be dismissed.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck