Hartford - The question of whether legalizing Internet gambling would be good for the state will take center stage this morning at the Capitol complex.

Representatives of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos are among the guests scheduled to share their thoughts on the controversial subject during an informational forum before the General Assembly's Public Safety Committee.

Joining them will be lawyers from the state attorney general's office, who are expected to give their interpretation of a U.S. Department of Justice decision made in December that many believe opened the door for states to begin offering their residents online gambling.

"Internet gaming is coming to Connecticut - period. It's coming," Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said last month in response to the decision, asserting that if online gambling is allowed in any state, by nature of the Internet, it will arrive in every state.

But some state legislators remain unconvinced that state-sanctioned online gambling is inevitable. Although an untold number of state residents already are gambling via Internet sites operated offshore, those individuals are committing class B misdemeanors.

On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader John Mc-Kinney, R-Fairfield, distributed his own seven-page legal analysis, which concludes that the state's prohibition on Internet gambling is still enforceable under state and federal law.

"The bottom line is Internet gambling is illegal in the state of Connecticut and the Justice Department decision does not change that fact," McKinney, a lawyer, said at a news conference. "Internet gambling is not coming to Connecticut."

McKinney vowed to fight any legislation that may arise in this year's legislative session that would authorize online gambling. By keeping it illegal, the state protects business at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and doesn't overly depend on gambling for economic growth, he said.

McKinney said he intends to introduce a bill that would ramp up enforcement and raise the criminal penalties for operating an Internet gambling website from a class A misdemeanor to a felony.

"Where state laws have been upheld to make gambling illegal, and where there is the threat of prosecution of people who don't even live in that state, those Internet sites have picked up and left and do not go after individuals in those states," McKinney said.

At least two local legislators are skeptical about legalizing Internet gambling.

State Rep. Tom Reynolds, D-Ledyard, said he has several questions that need answers, including whether it is permissible to limit Internet gambling operations to the two tribes.

On that question, McKinney said he believes that such a strategy would violate the constitution's Commerce Clause by favoring in-state economic interests over out-of-state competitors.

Reynolds also has concerns about exacerbating problem gambling and making it easier for minors to gain access to gambling via computer.

State Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-Stonington, said Wednesday that he has yet to study the issue, but "my gut reaction is it would not be a particularly good thing." He, too, expressed concerns about problem gambling and the impact online gambling could have on the casinos' business.

McKinney, the Republican leader, pointed to Malloy as the driving force behind legalizing online gambling. "I think the governor's zeal to have this happen was probably motivated by trying to get more revenue," he said. "If the governor backs off pushing it and leaves it solely up to the legislature, I think you'll see a lot of the air come out of the balloon."

The governor's staff disputed those claims, noting how earlier this week Malloy described the Internet gambling question as "a legislative issue" and not something he is pushing.

"What I have said here before is that the playing field with respect to gaming is about to change, and we have to consider those changes and be aware of them," the governor said Monday.

j.reindl@theday.com