Southeastern Connecticut’s casinos are on board with a Bridgeport lawmaker’s revival of a plan to extend hours of liquor service in certain locales, though two top New London officials don’t think it would be such a hot idea in the city.

Democratic state Rep. Christopher Rosario has introduced a bill that would establish a pilot program allowing liquor to be served until 4 a.m. at licensed locations in Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury and West Hartford as well as at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.

Currently, liquor can be sold until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights and until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Rosario had floated a similar proposal in 2019, a year after the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe had begun pushing for later last calls at Foxwoods in anticipation of a competing resort casino opening in Springfield, Mass. Since then, state and local authorities in the Bay State have authorized late liquor sales for patrons “actively” engaged in gambling at MGM Springfield and at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.

In 2018, the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes were planning on developing a third Connecticut casino in East Windsor, about 15 miles from Springfield, a project that’s been put on hold.

“Our position is unchanged” Jason Guyot, Foxwoods’ president and chief executive officer, said Monday of extended liquor hours. “We still feel it’s important to stay competitive with entertainment venues in other states. … Guests have choices, and we want to keep them in the state of Connecticut.”

Guyot said there’s no better place for later hours of liquor service than a casino, pointing to Foxwoods’ more than 2,000 hotel rooms and numerous restaurants that can accommodate late gamblers. He said there’s no data to support the argument that later liquor-service hours will create more unsafe highway conditions due to patrons hurrying to make last call at the casinos.

More than 30% of Foxwoods’ clientele comes from Massachusetts, Guyot said.

“The Mohegan position has been that such a time (4 a.m.) would make us more competitive and likely stop people from chugging at last call, and we could implement quickly,” Chuck Bunnell, the Mohegan Tribe’s chief of staff, wrote in an email. “We also feel that if expanded for certain cities it needs to be in casino licenses as well.”

Rosario, in widening the scope of his bill, proposed three years ago the creation of “nightlife entertainment zones” to help businesses in designated locales compete with establishments in neighboring states where alcohol is served until 4 a.m. He said such competition primarily affects bars and entertainment venues in Fairfield County that compete for millennials with New York venues that have later hours of service.

Attempts to reach Rosario on Monday were unsuccessful.

“He’s got to do what’s right for his district, but I don’t know how something like that (later hours of service) would be welcome here,” Michael Passero, New London’s mayor, said. “You’re talking about the biggest city in the state (Bridgeport) and the smallest (New London). It doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.”

Passero said he would want assurances that municipalities have the right to opt out of any legislation extending hours of liquor service.

“It would have to be a local decision,” he said. “I’d want to be sure the vast majority of people in the city supported it.”

Brian Wright, the New London police chief, said he was against Rosario’s proposal.

“As it is, bars and entertainment spots tend to be hotspots for police departments around closing time,” he said. “They draw a lot of resources. You extend their hours and you’re going to stretch the resources in an around those areas for longer periods of time. I don’t think the benefits (of longer hours) would outweigh the possible perils.”

“How much more revenue are you really going to generate in two more hours?” Wright asked. “In Connecticut, law enforcement in general is already understaffed.”

b.hallenbeck@theday.com