State Sen. Tony Hwang (R- 28th) and retired state Rep. Robert Steele have issued an open letter supporting Gov. Ned Lamont”™s rejection of a proposal to allow the tribal owners of Connecticut”™s two casinos to offer online gambling.
“First, this was an attempted power play by the tribes to use the pandemic to bypass the legislature not only to gain approval for online gambling but to gain the exclusive right to offer it in Connecticut,” wrote Steele and Hwang ”“ whose district includes Fairfield, Newtown, Westport, Weston and Easton.
“And second, this is exactly the wrong time to put a virtual casino in every sheltering home in the state,” they continued. “According to gambling addiction professionals, the rate of problem gambling disorders, and the resulting social and personal financial problems, increases for online players, including especially those experiencing isolation, loneliness and depression.”
Hwang has opposed casino expansion in the past, telling the Business Journal in 2017: “Over the past years, we”™ve seen nearly every state get into the gambling business. We”™ve reached an oversaturation point, where the only way to grow that business is to create more addicted gamblers.”
Lamont rejected the bid, made on behalf of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun by the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, last weekend.
“Authorizing online gaming and enabling consumers to more easily access gambling is a significant policy decision that has not yet been embraced or acted up by our legislature,” Lamont wrote. “Doing so at a time when so many Connecticut residents are in financial distress would be a particularly significant policy decision to make without legislative approval.”
“Even in the best and most stable of financial times,” Hwang and Steele wrote, “introducing a way for citizens to gamble from anywhere at any hour of the day poses significant addiction risks. Online gambling is a big public policy change, deserving of a proper legislative process and careful consideration.”
The two casinos have been voluntarily closed since March 17.
