In total, four different amendments were considered. One amendment would allow the Wampanoag tribe to develop a gaming casino in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The tribe had launched an aggressive campaign to get the amendment passed, including guaranteeing the state significant funds if it passed. Calls to the Wampanoag tribe were not returned by press time and it is unclear whether the tribe will proceed with its acquisition of the parcel in New Bedford.
The issue of allowing slot machines at dog tracks was also considered and defeated. The House did approve the establishment of a commission to study the effects of gambling and make recommendations to the state about whether to expand it in the state. A similar commission was formed five years ago which recommended that the state not allow gaming casinos.
The majority of House Republicans support casino gambling in the state, arguing that hundreds of millions of dollars of state money is lost to casinos in Connecticut. These lawmakers point out that the tax revenues from casino gambling could be used to offset the state's budget deficit.
But House Democrats opposed to legalizing casino gambling insist that harmful effects of casino gambling offset any financial rewards. "There are too many negative impacts," a spokesperson for Representative Daniel E. Bosley, house government regulations chairman, tells GlobeSt.com. She adds that casinos are also not reliable sources of revenues and the casino planned by the Wampanoags for New Bedford was to be an "urban casino," unlike the Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut, which would require increased public safety measures and increased security costs. "Foxwoods is a destination resort. We're not talking about that here. We're talking about New Bedford," she points out. "We're not getting the high rollers there, only the people with the lowest amount of income who can least afford to lose." In addition, she notes, that even with its gaming casinos, Connecticut has an $800 million deficit this year.
Another fear is that a casino would take away from the state lottery, which, Bosley's spokesperson, notes, "is the most successful in the nation." Mississippi and Louisiana both started with one casino and now they both have 35 that are not bringing the state the revenue that was promised, she adds.
The commission to study gambling's implications for the state is to be formed this coming January and will be funded with $100,000.
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