Bills call for studies of commercial gaming, eastern Connecticut job transition
Bills filed Wednesday in the state legislature call for separate studies of the establishment of commercial gaming in the state and of the transition of former casino workers to other employment in eastern Connecticut.
Both measures were introduced by the Commerce Committee.
Raised Bill No. 5577 requires the state to commission a study “to evaluate the costs and benefits of authorizing and licensing a commercial gaming facility within the state.”
It defines “commercial gaming facility” as one that’s not located on Indian land or subject to the oversight of the National Indian Gaming Commission.
In southeastern Connecticut, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun are located on the reservations of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, respectively, and are subject to federal oversight.
The two tribes hope to develop a commercial casino in the Hartford area to minimize the impact of MGM Springfield, a $950 million resort casino being built near the Connecticut border in Massachusetts.
The tribes did not immediately respond to a request for comment on No. 5577.
Previously, they said further study of the need for a third casino in the state, or its whereabouts, was unnecessary.
They pointed to a report they commissioned and released last year that found a casino in north-central Connecticut would be best positioned to counter the Springfield, Mass., facility and protect Connecticut jobs and revenue.
According to the proposed legislation, the study is to identify the types of commercial gaming that are most effective in maximizing state revenues “in a cost beneficial manner.”
It is to compare options with regard to geographic locations; various tax rates to be applied to gaming proceeds; minimum internal controls under which a facility would have to operate; minimum capital investments necessary to build a facility; and the regulatory structure that would be required to oversee the issuance of a commercial gaming license for a facility.
The study would include an economic and legal analysis of how the authorization of commercial gaming would affect the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes’ exclusivity agreements with the state.
Under compacts signed in the 1990s, the state granted the tribes the exclusive right to conduct gaming in Connecticut in exchange for 25 percent of the tribal casinos’ gross slot-machine revenues.
The Office of Policy and Management would be required to report the study’s findings to the legislature by Jan. 1, 2018.
The measure seeking a study of employment transition in eastern Connecticut, Raised Bill No. 398, requires the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development to analyze the impact casino job losses have had on the region’s workforce.
The study’s findings are to include an examination of the availability of jobs in other employment sectors, including advanced manufacturing and health care; the type and amount of training necessary for workers' transition into such fields; and the resources available for former casino employees to obtain such training.
Public hearings on the bills have yet to be scheduled.
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
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