Editorial: State's share of gaming not so great

Tuesday, May 2, 2006  

"When former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker negotiated the state compact with the Mashantucket tribe that made Foxwoods casino and resort possible 15 years ago, few envisioned anything approaching in scale the deal announced last week between the Mashantucket tribe and MGM Mirage.

At its outset, the compact appeared to be a bountiful arrangement in which the state would receive a windfall from 25 percent of the slot-machine revenues from the new enterprise. But as the casino grew, and another appeared across the river, a downside of the financial arrangement became evident.

The casino employees and their families, numbering in the tens of thousands, placed new pressures on the affordable-housing market in the region and public schools. Casino patrons added to the pressures on the region's roads. Host towns complained of additional strains on their police departments and other services.

And eventually, the state's share in the slot revenues didn't appear as bountiful as it originally had."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The Price Of 'Progress' (The New London Day 5/2)
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