Once again, a proposal has surfaced to allow drinking at tribal casinos to extend further into the early morning hours and, once again, we have to say it is a bad idea.

This new proposal comes with a twist. State Rep. Christopher Rosario, a Bridgeport Democrat, has filed a bill that would allow for designation of "nightlife entertainment zones,” where alcohol could be served until 4 in the morning — two to three hours later than state law now allows.

While the region’s two tribal casinos — Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort — would almost certainly be designated nightlife entertainment zones, Rosario’s concern centers on the competition clubs and bars in Fairfield County face. In Connecticut, alcohol can be served until 1 a.m. weekdays, 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Rosario contends this is driving some young adults to do their partying in New York, the city that never sleeps and where bars can serve until 4 a.m. 

Bridgeport’s Steel Point area could qualify for designation as a nightlife entertainment zone, as could Blue Back Square in West Hartford, areas in South Norwalk, Stamford, Hartford and Danbury — and southeastern Connecticut’s casinos, Rosario told The Day.

The tribal casinos have long sought the ability to keep serving drinks to patrons in hopes of keeping them gambling. The proposed 4 a.m. closing time would match the rules at the MGM Springfield casino in Massachusetts, putting Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods on a competitive par. It would also help Hartford area establishments competing with the extended MGM hours, Rosario said.

But later drinking hours at Connecticut’s casinos and for businesses in these special zones would pose unfair competition to other alcohol-serving operators in the state. It would lead to pressure to extend drinking times uniformly for all bars and nightclubs, and that would be a mistake.

Extended drinking times would mean law enforcement agencies would have to extend their DUI-targeted patrols throughout the third shift. More hours to drink also raises the prospects of more drivers taking to roads intoxicated, and tired, after last call.

All-night drinkers will be hitting the roads as early-risers head to jobs.

The bottom line is that extended hours may help business, but it will also produce more drunken driving, more problems and likely more tragedy. Leave drinking hours as they are.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.