Bridgeport casino may finally come through
A casino project in Bridgeport is set to be pushed by state lawmakers and the Connecticut venue may soon be built.
US.- A casino is set to arrive in Connecticut after years of debate as lawmakers are finally determined to move forward with the Bridgeport project. The General Assembly will pass legislation that is going to clear the way for gambling venues besides the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket or the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville.
According to state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, lawmaker will finally vote on the respective bill and stated: “It sometimes takes a couple of years for (legislators) to get used to an idea or concept before it can cross the finish line.”
House Bill 7055, would “create a competitive bidding process for a resort-casino that would allow the state to choose a development with the most economic impact to the state,” Stafstrom explained. The piece of legislation would also create an official gaming commission to gather reviews of those bids by the state Department of Consumer Protection and the Department of Economic & Community Development, as well as public comments.
“It would be sort of a ‘BridgeHaven’ approach,” Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said, “to take advantage of the job opportunities being created in both of Connecticut’s largest cities.”
Ganim is a longtime proponent of the casino and revealed the city expects the Steelpointe Harbor casino to create at least 2k permanent jobs and annual tax revenue of US$316 million for the state, as well as nearly 5,8k jobs in construction and local business.
