Several of the state\u2019s legislators — all located in and near Bridgeport — offered mixed reaction to the possible involvement of the tribes in a potential casino.<\/p>\n
The Bridgeport Legislative delegation has always been willing to listen to and work with anyone interested in bringing jobs and economic opportunity to Bridgeport,\u201d <\/span><\/strong>S<\/span>tate Rep. Steven J. Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport) told <\/span>Casino.org.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThat is why we have pushed for an open, transparent, competitive bidding process so that any interested gaming operator would have the opportunity to bid and present a package that makes the most sense for Bridgeport and the State of Connecticut,” <\/span><\/strong>he added.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cTo date, MGM has been the most outspoken on the potential Bridgeport offers and has presented plans for a robust entertainment destination.\u00a0 We look forward to the tribes\u2019 putting forward their proposal as well,\u201d\u00a0Stafstrom said.<\/span><\/p>\nMoney Talks<\/h2>\n
One concern with the MGM proposal is what may happen to the money — which totals about $250 million per year — the tribes give to Connecticut from slot machine revenue, if a competitor opens up elsewhere in the state.<\/p>\n
Betsy Conway, general counsel for the Mashantucket Pequots, has said that payments from the tribes to the state would end the moment the state authorized a commercial casino, even before that venue opened. Currently, the tribes pay the state 25 percent of their slot revenue each month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cA big component of the open bid process we have advocated for includes how to account for and increase the Pequot Fund revenue that the tribes currently pay,\u201d Stafstrom said. \u201cThe tribes obviously have a leg up in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tribes have over 6,000 jobs in Connecticut, generate about $200 million for the state … for the compact,\u201d State Sen. Bob Duff, (D-Norwalk), who is majority leader of the State Senate, told Casino.org<\/em>. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about thousands of jobs and important revenue.”<\/strong><\/p>\nBut concerns about the regional and local negative impact from any casino opening up in Bridgeport still linger.<\/p>\n
State Rep. Thomas O\u2019Dea (R-New Canaan) told Casino.org<\/em>\u00a0that he is \u201c … not a fan generally of having casinos coming in anywhere.\u201d He cites the example of Atlantic City, where, O’Dea claims, that \u201ccasinos … did nothing for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI am concerned about expansion of casinos in Connecticut, especially in Bridgeport,\u201d State Rep. Anne Hughes (D-Easton) said in a statement to Casino.org<\/em>, also warning about the social costs of gambling in general and problem gambling specifically.<\/p>\nTraffic Arguments<\/h2>\n
Much of the long-standing opposition to a casino in Bridgeport from surrounding communities is caused by the anticipation of additional traffic on the area\u2019s already congested highways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a horrible traffic problem in Fairfield County. I don\u2019t see how a casino would help that,\u201d O\u2019Dea said.<\/p>\n
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O\u2019Dea is particularly interested if the plan from the tribes could lead to improved transportation infrastructure, possibly through public-private partnership funding.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nHe would be more \u201camenable\u201d to an \u201cevent-type of arena.\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly, Hughes backs setting up more entertainment and resort-type experiences along the shoreline of Bridgeport, but asks if it can be done \u201cwithout the gaming?\u201d<\/p>\n
She says visitors will come for entertainment, walks along a scenic peer, and eat at restaurants, more along the line of what is found along the Baltimore, Maryland harbor. She also insists that gaming revenue \u201chas really dropped off.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to research from UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research, Hughes is correct that slots revenues at both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have fallen since 2011 overall.<\/p>\n
\n
The handle — the amount bet on slot machines — at the two casinos has fallen from a combined high of $16.3 billion in 2011 down to a combined $13.05 billion in 2018. New surrounding casinos have, of course, also popped up in those seven years, and while slots traditionally account for the majority of a land casino’s profits, revenue from table games is not accounted for in these numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nA proposed casino on non-sovereign land — located 13 miles south of MGM Springfield in East Windsor<\/a>— has yet to move forward.\u00a0The Day <\/em>reported that a bill originally introduced by pro-gaming State Rep. Ben McGorty (R-122nd Dist) would repeal authorization for the tribes\u2019 East Windsor casino, but McGorty says that was due to mistaken wording and that he had only intended to level the bidding playing field between commercial and tribal gaming operators.<\/p>\nSpeaking of Bridgeport, McGorty told The Day\u00a0<\/em>that the city was “the best place in the state for a casino.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MGM Resort\u2019s proposal to build a large casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut — already opposed by many surrounding towns — is now facing a new challenge, with word that the Constitution State\u2019s new Governor Ned Lamont, only in office two weeks, has reached out to the tribes that operate Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":96760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,18,61,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Connecticut Governor and State Tribes Hash Out Bridgeport Gaming<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n