"In the winter of 1992, when the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation opened the doors at Foxwoods, skeptics wondered if they'd get enough customers to survive. The tribe got that, and more.

And then when the Mohegan Tribe opened its Mohegan Sun four years later, doubters wondered if there would be enough business to sustain both venues. Clearly, there was.

And now, gambling is all around. And more is not far away.

Doubters still wonder when the bottom will fall out of this casino craze. But the evidence seems to be indisputable — people like to gamble and they like the excitement of casinos.

Here in southeastern Connecticut, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have created 20,000 jobs and spit out huge government revenues. Since their inception they have made $4.2 billion in payments to state coffers, and currently have a combined annual payroll of about $838 million.

There are some people who will always dislike the casinos and their primary goal of separating visitors from their money. And for a small minority, compulsive gambling is a serious problem. It is essential that as the industry expands, so does its efforts to help those with gambling addictions.

But gambling is here to stay. Connecticut has become dependent on casino and lottery winnings to finance government, and for that reason it is good news that analysts see potential for sizeable growth in the Northeast gaming market."

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Editorial: 'Entertainment Superstores' (The New London Day 9/23)
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