During negotiations behind closed doors, lawmakers in the Connecticut Senate have decided over the past month that a new casino in Connecticut will have to wait at least another year.
"This has really become a two-step process and we need to make sure we do that process to save the 9,000 jobs that we’re so concerned about," said State Sen. Bob Duff, a Democrat from Norwalk and the second-ranking member in the Connecticut Senate.
The two steps would clear the way for tribes that already operate casinos to work with municipalities that have approved them, then allow for construction to begin next year. A vote could come as soon as Wednesday on the measure.
The original proposal included the possibility of three new casinos, one each along sections of Interstates 95, 91, and 84. Now, the most likely location for a third casino in Connecticut is in between Springfield and Hartford. The aim is to cut off traffic to a new casino being built in Springfield that should be finished by 2017.
Opponents fear legal issues with the new plan.
"We potentially open a can of worms, a Pandora’s box of due process and equal access among other potential Indian tribes and the Steve Wynns and the gambling establishment as a whole," said State Sen. Tony Hwang, a Republican from Fairfield who has been outspoken on some of the other pitfalls of gambling.
"The fact is we have not done a thorough analysis of the societal cost of gambling," he cautioned.
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Hwang said the deal being worked on in Hartford would allow for a casino outside of tribal land, which the attorney general has warned could jeopardize the existing compact that sends millions to the state in tax revenues.
The Mashantuckett Pequot and Mohegan tribes endorsed the deal with a statement Tuesday through spokeswoman Patty McQueen.
"Our goal from the outset has been to protect the 9,300 jobs and revenue that will be lost to competition on Connecticut's borders, and we believe this bill, if approved, will give the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes the ability to begin to take action to do so," McQueen said.
Duff, who's been involved with negotiations from the start, said the entire effort is meant to maintain the workforce of casino employees in Connecticut while keeping the state in a solid legal position when it comes to other tribes and efforts.
"We want to make sure that we save those jobs and do it in a way that we protect the state of Connecticut and in a way that respects the process," Duff said.
