Council concerned Northeast is getting crowded with casinos
Newton, Mass. — When it comes to gaming, New England's just about tapped out.
That less-than-startling conclusion seemed to be the consensus of a panel of experts Friday, the first day of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States' three-day summer meeting at the Boston Marriott Newton.
Lou D'Alessandro, a New Hampshire state senator whose casino-free state has flirted with legalizing gaming for years, moderated a panel discussion on casino saturation and the role legislators and regulators play.
"Is it over, in terms of expansion?" D'Alessandro wanted to know.
"Yes, it's getting difficult," said John Finamore, a senior vice president for Penn National Gaming. "There's not much left."
John Taylor, chairman of Twin River Worldwide Holdings, whose gaming properties include Twin River Casino and Newport Grand in Rhode Island, chimed in.
"We're reaching that point very quickly in New England," he said. "Public policy makers have to assess the adult population, its propensity to gamble and the distance to the nearest competitor."
"Let the data take you to whether it makes sense or not. If it does, we might show up," Taylor said.
Another panelist, Bobby Soper, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority president and chief executive officer, did not weigh in on whether New England can support more casinos.
Soper's Mohegan Tribe, which owns Mohegan Sun, is partnering with the Mashantuckeet Pequot Tribe, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino, to pursue a third Connecticut gaming facility that would be aimed at fending off competition from a resort casino under construction in Springfield, Mass.
Casinos proposed elsewhere in Massachusetts and New York also threaten the southeastern Connecticut casinos, as does the prospect of a northern New Jersey facility.
NCLGS President Helene Keeley, a Delaware state lawmaker, said legislatures are sometimes distracted by dollar signs when they consider expanded gambling and the tax revenue and jobs it can create.
"They don't see the cannibalization," she said.
D'Alessandro asked which U.S. markets have yet to be tapped.
"New York City," said Sara Rayme, a senior vice president for the American Gaming Association. She noted that a northern New Jersey casino could force New York officials to court a Manhattan facility.
Finamore said Texas and Georgia could accommodate casinos while Taylor mentioned "portions of Florida" and the Carolinas.
"Virginia," Soper added.
Panelists said the gaming industry is threated by illegal sports betting, unregulated daily fantasy sports and charitable gaming.
Sports betting, currently legal only in Nevada, represents an $8.5 billion opportunity for the gaming industry, Rayme said.
"It's going to happen in the next three to five years," she said. "Whether it's on a state-by-state basis or federally remains to be seen."
Connecticut state Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville, was scheduled to moderate a panel discussion Saturday titled "Massachusetts Case Study: Lessons Learned from Gaming's Newest Entrant."
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