Column: The casino arms race in New England

Monday, March 10, 2008  

"So what's Connecticut to do, now that Massachusetts is wising up and planning to stem the flow of gambling dollars across state lines? Let them beat us at our own game?

Not so fast, suggests Arthur W. Wright, University of Connecticut emeritus professor of economics, who thinks maybe Connecticut could instead fight new casinos with new casinos.

In the winter issue of the Connecticut Economy, the UConn quarterly review, Wright suggests that the best defense is a good offense, and that Connecticut should consider licensing some new casinos, located strategically closer to Massachusetts.

Do nothing, he says, and the state, under even conservative scenarios, could lose as much as half the $450 million it's now collecting from slot machine revenues.

“If you were the state of Connecticut, what would you do? Stick with the hand you've been dealt, or ask for more cards?” asks Wright, an editor of the quarterly."

Get the Story:
David Collins: A Casino Arms Race Could Burn Us All (The New London Day 3/9)
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