Connecticut lawmakers are looking to up their game by taking a closer look at the possibility of a new gambling legislation that could expand the number of casinos in the state. Just a year ago, a new tribal casino was approved near Massachusetts border. And now, Connecticut lawmakers want to up their game by considering expanding gambling proposals.
The General Assembly Public Safety and Security Committee is scheduled to have a hearing on this particular bill on Tuesday. There are legislators who want to allow tribes and non-tribal developer to submit their own proposal for a new casino. If everything goes into plan, this could be the first casino on non-tribal lands. And one of the possible locations for the casino is most likely Bridgeport.
Scrapping Last Year’s Legislation?
There was a contingency mostly of urban legislators who called for scrapping last year’s legislation. Instead, what they want is to open up more developers to submit their proposals.
However, there are already bills that allow the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to offer some online lottery games and to require the Department of Consumer Protection commissioner to draft a sports betting regulation.
Aside from the possibility of making new casinos, lawmakers are also considering to exempt big lottery winners from public disclosure.
Connecticut Also Wants to Consider Online Gambling Regulations
By the end of February, Connecticut lawmakers held a 20-minute press conference about the possibility of adding legal sports betting in their state. In fact, the discussion was already brought up by three legislators including House Speaker Joseph Aresimowicz, Matthew Ritter, and Rep. Joe Verrengia, the chairman of Public Safety and Security Committee.
During this time, NBA and Major League Baseball have already expressed their interest in the sports betting industry that could possibly brew within Connecticut.
According to Verrengia, “The Public Safety Committee has its plate full when it comes to gaming issues”.
He added that “I thought the timing of having a forum, a national perspective on gaming—including casino gaming, sports betting, fantasy, sports off-track betting—it would be a good time to invite leaders in those industries to come to Connecticut and give us a sense of what’s happened at the national level, and give the committee members an opportunity to get the lay of the landscape and ask those leaders questions”.
Sports Betting and More Casinos?
So what is next for CT? Just during the beginning of March, many have already speculated that it wasn’t just online gambling that lawmakers are having their eyes on. And it is quite true. With plans of having a new casino, and Aresimowicz planning to legalize online sports betting, these are great developments for the state. In fact, for sports betting, the attempt to legalize sports betting is to capture the money from the black market back into the state.
He even mentioned that “The world has changed, even since we’ve done the compact”. He added that “You can now gamble online. This is a new era; we believe we should have the discussions”.
Could these legislative plans come to fruition soon in Connecticut?
