Connecticut pushes for mini casinos
Some Connecticut lawmakers are making a run to get mini casinos installed in three cities in exchange for their votes for the East Windsor casino.
US.- Connecticut is on the verge of approving the East Windsor casino that the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes are pushing and some legislators want to take advantage of it. Lawmakers from New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury want to get “mini casinos” installed in their cities in exchange for their vote for the tribal facility.
If these group succeeds, off-track betting facilities such as Winners Shoreline Star in Bridgeport or SportsHaven in New Haven could end up operating slots, and maybe even other forms of gambling. The plan was orchestrated over the weekend and is set to be discussed as the legislative leadership moved the debate about a state budget solution to a Special Session later in the month.
Chris Rosario, Democratic Representative of Bridgeport and chairman of the Black and Puerto Rican caucus of state lawmakers, said: “We’re looking for jobs for the people of our communities. Quite often here in this building there are a lot of proposals and it seems like the inner cities are kind of left out of the conversation.”
Furthermore, Representative Joe Aresimowicz, Speaker of the House, commented: “The thought process is folks would go there, the restaurants would benefit, the current OTB parlors would benefit. It would just be another reason for folks to head into the cities.”
However, there’s some opposition to the project, led by House Republican leader, Representative Themis Klarides, who says that there’s no need for more votes as there’s already enough to pass the East Windsor plan: “On the heels of Aetna last week I think it is very clear that we throw money after money at every business that wants to leave and this bill would not cost any money and would save jobs.”
Uri Clinton, of MGM Resorts, commented: “This is about people in the House thinking that they are going to get the benefit of a bargain that will never materialise.”
