Connecticut | Opinion

Editorial: No guarantee of success for new casino in Connecticut

Monday, June 1, 2015

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Buter, center, talks with Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D), left, at the opening of the new Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods. Photo from Facebook

Connecticut newspaper warns a new casino for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe might not succeed in the face of increasing competition in the Northeast:

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was still deciding this weekend whether to sign legislation approved early Friday that would lead to possibly opening a new tribal casino along the Connecticut-Massachusetts border.
Proponents contend a new facility along the I-91 corridor would help combat out-of-state gambling competition — specifically, it would answer a planned MGM Resorts casino in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts
A consultant hired by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, which currently operate casinos in southeastern Connecticut, has warned that about 6,000 direct casino jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs could be lost due to MGM in the region. The consultant’s study also predicted the tribes and the state would experience a total, potential $700 million revenue loss due to competition from MGM.
In other words, the expansion of casino gambling in Connecticut is a business decision, intended to protect jobs as well as state revenue.

Get the Story:
Editorial: A new casino is no sure bet for success (The Bristol Herald 5/31)

Another Opinion:
Rep. Charles Ferraro: More casinos in Connecticut a bad bet (The New Haven Register 6/1)

Also Today:
Tribes Welcome Scaled Back Plans for Gaming Expansion (WNPR 6/1)
Malloy reviewing bill that creates multi-step process for new tribal casino in Connecticut (AP 5/29)
Gaming Groups Warn Of Casino Saturation In Northeast (AP 5/28)