Plan For More Connecticut Casinos AdvancesBill Would Allow Up To Three More Tribal Casinos |
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As more casinos continue to pop up in the Northeast, the state of Conneticut is geting more serious about the possibility of up to three additional casinos within its borders.
Connecticut officials are especially concerned about a casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is very close to the border between the two states. That MGM property, which comes with an $800 million price tag, recently had ground broken for construction.
According to the Hartford Courant, the plan for the new casinos got the OK this week from the Connecticut legislature’s planning and development committee. That committee is seen a crucial hurdle to clear on the way to becoming law. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.
A key point for lawmakers is that the state doesn’t help finance the new casinos.
“The fact is, whether we like gambling or not, [Massachusetts casinos] are counting on 80 percent of their revenues coming from the state of Connecticut,‘’ Sen. Steve Cassano, a Democrat from Manchester, said. "We don’t have enough money … we’re all scrambling now. We’re probably going to be here all summer at the rate things are going, trying to put a budget together. I don’t think we need to expand gambling, but in this case, knowing those kinds of numbers, if we can keep 30 [percent] or 40 percent of that here, it makes life better for the people of Connecticut.’’
Connecticut currently has two tribal casinos—Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Those two groups would be the owners of the new satellite casinos.
If the bill for more casinos passes the legislature and is signed by the governor, localities will be able to vote on whether they want a new casino in their area.
In addition to competition from Massachusetts, the state of New York is in the process of adding four more casinos to its gambling offerings.
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