A bipartisan group of Connecticut lawmakers unveiled a draft of sweeping gaming expansion that includes sports betting provisions.
Led by Democratic Senators Cathy Osten and Saud Anwar, the 41-page bill dubbed “An Act Concerning Jobs In and Revenue from the Gaming Industry,” not only legalizes state-wide mobile and retail sports betting, but allows online casino gambling, and iKeno. The draft also includes a new casino in Bridgeport, and three “entertainment zones” in Hartford, New Haven, and a site to be determined.
The bill is really a tribal gaming proposal since only the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes would partner on a new East Windsor casino. The bill allows for the tribes to also partner up in Bridgeport, though MGM Resorts wants a shot at a Bridgeport casino, according to the Hartford Courant.
“MGM continues to be interested in opportunities in Connecticut and we strongly believe that the best path, whether in establishing sports betting or moving ahead with a third casino in the state, is an open, competitive process,” an MGM spokesperson told the Courant. “MGM will also continue to pursue all legal options, including litigation, to defend our right to compete in Connecticut.”
The legislation includes $88 million that the tribes will give local cities and municipalities each year as part of the gaming expansion. The tribes currently distribute $51 million a year across all of Connecticut’s towns, and that number would go up to $139 million. The proposal also calls for 10 percent of gross gaming revenue to be earmarked for the state’s tourism fund.
“Today, we are talking about a win-win strategy,” Anwar said according to a Democrat press release. “If you look at the details, everyone wins. Not only will we have significant new investments in East Windsor and Bridgeport, but we have jobs for the people who will build these places.”
Connecticut politicians and the tribes have been haggling over sports betting even before the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018. At that time, then-Governor Dannel Malloy tried to force politicians’ hands by setting a deadline to act and suggesting a special session to consider sports betting, but there was no consensus. Last year, the Connecticut General Assembly held multiple marathon, contentious hearings that accomplished little, and the session closed again without any movement on legal sports betting.
At one point, Connecticut seemed poised to be the first to offer sports betting in New England. In addition to its proximity to New York, the state is home to the most mature gaming market in the region—Foxwoods opened its casino in 1992 and Mohegan Sun in 1996.
But Rhode Island became the first in the summer of 2018, and New Hampshire legalized a year later, meaning Connecticut has now fallen behind.
The new bill calls for Governor Ned Lamont to renegotiate tribal pacts by October 1.
Lamont has been in talks with the tribes for months, and both sides have publicly said they were moving forward. James Gessner Jr., chairman of the Mohegan tribe, said he was “very optimistic” about the talks, but also said that Connecticut has “fallen behind and it’s time to modernize.”
