The casinos in southeast Connecticut indirectly support 7,000 jobs in addition to the more than 20,000 people they employ, a new study shows.
The study was commissioned by the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and authored by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) of Rocky Hill.
With expansions under way at both Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino, contractors are expected to maintain an average of 3,450 additional jobs this year and next. CERC estimates that when completed, the casinos will employ 3,500 additional people, while indirectly spurring the hiring of 1,750 people at other companies.
Last year, the casinos added 760 jobs on a net basis. Overall, Foxwoods paid $445 million in wages last year and Mohegan Sun $393 million, making them two of the five-largest private employers in the state.
The casinos purchased $696 million in goods and services from Connecticut companies last year, and $208 million from Massachusetts companies.
Since 1992, the casinos have contributed $4.2 billion to the state of Connecticut, CERC found, and the resorts draw more than 27 million visits annually.
