Editorial: Flip-flop on casino liquor expansion

Wednesday, March 11, 2009  

"It's not worth it. Drop the idea. That is what this newspaper had to say last week about Gov. M. Jodi Rell's proposal to allow around-the-clock liquor sales at the state's Indian-owned casinos to boost gaming revenues and help ease the state's budget gap.

Given that position, we appreciate that Gov. Rell has now rescinded her support for extended bar hours at Foxwoods Resort, MGM Grand at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos.

But the fact that her reversal came in the wake of Saturday morning's fatal accident that police allege was caused by a 23-year-old who had been drinking at a casino nightclub makes us question how the governor and her administration make their policy decisions in the first place.

Didn't Gov. Rell consider when she supported around-the-clock drinking at the southeastern Connecticut casinos that extended access to booze would increase the likelihood of drunken-driving accidents? The governor or one of her policy advisers should have realized that after-hours cocktails would be a magnet for drinkers, putting more impaired drivers on roads that have already seen increased traffic and troubles since the casinos opened here. Gov. Rell's knee-jerk reaction to Saturday's crash, which killed a 20-year-old Connecticut College junior and injured several others, suggests she never gave those issues serious thought."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Think Before Acting (The New London Day 3/11)

Another Opinion:
David Collins: Casinos log big liquor violations (The New London Day 3/11)