Connecticut lawmakers consider gambling expansion

A year after approving another tribal casino in the state, lawmakers from Connecticut are considering a gambling expansion bill.

US.- The General Assembly Public Safety and Security Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing tomorrow on a gambling expansion bill that would allow tribes and non-tribal developers to submit proposals to build a new casino in Connecticut.

The casino would be located in Bridgeport and would become the first on non-tribal lands. The proposal comes just a year after the state approved another tribal casino near the Massachusetts border, which was chosen to compete with the neighbouring industry that’s been exponentially growing in the last few years. Some lawmakers are now considering giving tribes and non-tribal operators the opportunity to submit proposals for a new gambling facility.

The General Assembly Public Safety and Security Committee is also scheduled to discuss other bills that would allow the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to offer online lottery games and ask the Department of Consumer Protection commissioner to come up with regulations for sports betting.

Lawmakers want to make sure that the state is ready to offer sports betting in case the US Supreme Court rules in favour of lifting the federal ban. “Connecticut should be ready to go from both a regulatory and operational standpoint,” said Democratic House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, of Berlin.