A Connecticut lawmaker who is skeptical about the amount of bad economic impact the MGM Springfield casino in Massachusetts will have on his state’s two gaming tribes’ operations wants an independent impact study done.
Rep. Chris Perone doesn’t want to rely entirely on the economic impact study that the Mohegan and Pequot tribes sent to the legislature last summer when the legislature adopted a bill that allows them to conduct a site selection process for a third—satellite-casino.
The tribes, once bitter rivals, own Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun. They are united to try to ameliorate the effects of the $950 million MGM Springfield casino resort ready to begin building in neighboring Massachusetts.
Since 2008 the region where the two casinos operate, the Norwich-New London region, has lost 11,000 jobs.
Clyde Barrow, almost universally recognized as the prime authority on New England gaming, did the study.
The joint powers partnership of the tribe is MMCT, which will identify the host community and run the casino once it is built. His study concluded that the state would lose 9,300 jobs, $100 million in gaming taxes and more than $700 million in gaming revenue form the MGM Springfield.
Perone wants another study, one that would not limit its focus to the Hartford area alone. However, if he has his way the third casino would be delayed.
MMCT spokesman Andrew Doba quickly reacted to Perone’s suggestion by declaring, “Clyde Barrow, a respected academic who’s studied this issue for years, has already released a report that puts in specific detail the exact impact this will have on the state. If we do nothing, Connecticut will lose 9,300 jobs and more than $100 million in revenue.”
For his part, Barrow suggested that if another study is done that it would show the same results as his study did.
Meanwhile, another lawmaker, Senator Cathy Osten, has introduced a bill that would assess the impact of a third Connecticut casino on the Eastern part of the state and also analyze jobs lost since the Great Recession as well as jobs that could be lost in that region if the Hartford area casino is built.
Osten told the Day, “It doesn’t matter whether there’s a third casino or just the day-to-day gaming business, southeastern Connecticut casinos are losing jobs.” She added, “In talking to people, chambers of commerce, workforce groups, Three Rivers Community College, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to recapture those jobs. The intention of this bill has nothing to do with whether or not there is a third casino. It’s to ensure eastern Connecticut recovers.”
