Sports betting has gotten all the attention from state legislatures this year, but Native American tribes in Connecticut have their eyes on a bigger prize.
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe that owns Foxwoods, points out that online gambling in New Jersey brings in more revenue for casinos and more taxes for the state than sports betting does. This has remained true even during the busy football season for NJ sportsbooks.
Butler sees a synergy between mobile sports betting and online gambling. The Connecticut tribes are asking for both verticals in a proposal pushed by Sen. Cathy Osten.
For everyone thats looking at sports betting, Butler said, look closely at the New Jersey model and the true success there is the marriage between sports betting and iGaming. Collectively, they really feed off each other.
In the 27 years since tribal gaming began in Connecticut in 1992, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have combined to generate more than $8 billion in contributions to the state. Even apart from direct gambling revenue, their tribal casinos create an immense economic impact in the region.
Speaking at the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) conference at Mohegan Sun in September, Butler recalled that Connecticut didnt enter the tribal compacts thinking gaming was going to be a great economic boon.
The governor never thought tribal casinos would work in southeast Connecticut, according to Butler, but saw it as a way to keep outside gambling companies away.
They were trying to resolve a nagging issue that they had with these poor Indians, he said. [The tribes] were going to build a casino that was never going to be successful. It had nothing to do with creating jobs and infrastructure and supporting the region. It was really to quiet us down, but also to quell the burgeoning commercial gaming industry which is ironic given the conversations were having today.
The tribes have proven to be good partners to Connecticut, paying back 25% of slot revenue in exchange for exclusivity over casino gambling. The state gave them casino gambling as an afterthought, and they turned it into much more than anyone expected including the operation of Vegas-style resorts at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
Those numbers, however, are declining.
The state share from tribal gaming peaked at $430 million in 2007 and has been trending steadily downward since, reaching $255 million this year. The decline stems from several factors, including the economic recession and an increase in gambling options in neighboring states.
So the tribes say: Allow us to modernize our gaming offerings by bringing casino games and sports betting to the web and mobile devices, and well bring that revenue back up.
With all the good the revenue has done for the state and its municipalities, the natives feel they deserve some loyalty in return. And lawmakers surrounding their facilities in southeast Connecticut agree.
There needs to be an understanding that the original Connecticut-ers before Connecticut was Connecticut were the Native Americans, Osten said. I think we need to put that out there and we need to fight the people that are stopping us from moving forward these two businesses which support Connecticut and have always supported Connecticut. We need to move beyond an executive branch that is stymieing that. We need to move beyond a bad corporate business that is trying to stymie our work here.
Other lawmakers see the falling tribal gaming revenues and feel it would be a mistake to hand over exclusivity on new forms of gambling without allowing other commercial gaming interests to compete.
Allowing tribes to have exclusivity to gambling off tribal lands also opens up the state to legal challenges, as seen in MGMs lawsuit seeking to overturn federal approval of the tribes jointly operating a casino in East Windsor near Hartford. The proposed Tribal Winds casino would be located 12 miles from MGMs casino in Springfield, Mass.
Butler asserts that MGM has no offices in the state and that all of its 80 employees in Connecticut are lobbyists. The tribes, meanwhile, employ some 18,000 people.
Osten further alleges that MGM misled the people of Connecticut when proposing to build a $600 million casino resort in Bridgeport, near New York City. Never given that opportunity, MGM subsequently angered some local legislators by instead buying a racino in Yonkers, just across the border.
They have promised people the world and never delivered on any single issue in Connecticut that they have promised, Osten said. I dont like MGM, and I dont like them because they have lied to people from Day 1. Theyre just trying to take our market, our jobs, and we need to fight back on somebody that does not tell people the absolute truth about the industry.
After negotiations between new Gov. Ned Lamont and the tribes broke down this year, Osten released a draft bill that she hoped to get taken up in a special session. The proposal drew scorn from Lamont and Rep. Joe Verrengia, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security.
Trying to bypass the governor and work a deal is not a strategy that I would subscribe to, Verrengia said.
The bill would extend tribal exclusivity to sports betting and iGaming, providing 10% of revenue from those activities to the state. One concession allows the state lottery to offer limited online lottery draw games. The tribes would commit $100 million to build that casino in Bridgeport.
Verrengia, on the other hand, believes the state could do better by opening up gaming to private companies. He contends that the tribes arent fully committed to building a casino at either site, because they want people to continue to visit their existing resorts.
They really dont want a Bridgeport casino, Verrengia said. The governor wants the Bridgeport casino. The model theyre talking about, the tribes investing $100 million and the state coming up with the money to build a hotel around that, thats just outright bizarre given we had a private major casino willing to spend a half billion dollars to build a full destination casino with all private funds.
Connecticut tribes want sports betting but they really want online gambling. Verrengia hopes the latter will be the catalyst for an agreement on a comprehensive gaming resolution.
The money is not in sports betting for the tribes, Verrengia said. The money is in casino mobile. Online casino gaming is something that can be negotiated. Tribes, you get this percentage of casino play online and then the other stakeholders get a percentage of the sports betting.
Verrengia said its his goal for the parties to come to an agreement by the end of the next legislative session, which begins in February. If that doesnt happen, he could see Connecticut taking more drastic steps.
If theres no give, at some point we have to move forward with our gaming policy, Verrengia said. With all that said, Im a big supporter of the tribes. If I can do something to give them a home-field advantage, I will. But when it comes down to it, I work for the state of Connecticut.
Originally posted here:
- Sports betting and gambling addiction are on the rise - Dakota News Now - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Proposed Alabama gambling legislation includes lottery, casinos, sports betting - AL.com - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Super Bowl betting soars, but it's still not legal in Chiefs and 49ers home states - NPR - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Problem gambling has increased in Ohio since sports betting legalized - Hamilton Journal News - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Sports betting and gambling addiction are on the rise - KTIV Siouxland's News Channel - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Sports bets during the big game could trigger gambling addictions - 25 News Now - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Illegal gambling raid at El Patron leads to 1 arrest and 23 citations - KRIS 6 News Corpus Christi - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Experts discuss responsible gambling ahead of the Super Bowl - Spectrum News 1 - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Gambling addicts face tough test as Super Bowl 58 descends on Las Vegas and NFL cashes in - USA TODAY - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- What are the NFLs gambling rules for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas? - The Athletic - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Personal Frontiers gets $45K to treat gambling addiction - Gillette News Record - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Super Bowl Gambling Grows, But Pastors Are on the Sidelines | News & Reporting - ChristianityToday.com - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Sports betting leading to increase in gambling addiction - Dayton 24/7 Now - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Betting on the Super Bowl: Impacts of sports gambling in Ohio as state's help hotline sees jump in calls - WKYC.com - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Sports gambling during the NFL Championship game will increase addiction rates - 25 News Now - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Billionaires Are Trying to Bring Casinos and Gambling to Texas - Robb Report - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Gambling becomes the first big issue of the legislative session - WBHM - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- DraftKings, helplines, and the hidden toll of sports gambling - The Boston Globe - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- The Super Bowl and gambling are locked in a tight and dangerous embrace - The Guardian - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Sports gambling addictions on the rise due to online betting, experts warn ahead of Super Bowl LVIII - WLS-TV - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Ads, food and gambling galore 5 essential reads for the Super Bowl - The Conversation - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Michigan Association on Problem Gambling warns of gambling problems ahead of Super Bowl - 9 & 10 News - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Ivey addresses gambling, AI, broadband and more - Alabama Political Reporter - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 02/10 - Zone Coverage - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Super Bowl gambling to break records - Action News 5 - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Capitol Notebook: Iowa gambling commission names new administrator - The Gazette - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Gambling in Iran: A prohibited but flourishing pursuit in digital age - G2G News - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses legalized gambling, officiating, player safety ahead of Super Bowl LVIII - NFL.com - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Players on the 49ers and Chiefs are barred from gambling in Vegas, until the game ends - NBC Sports - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Judge in Borgata/MGM case rules casinos have no duty to stop compulsive gamblers from betting - The Associated Press - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- The Future of Florida's Sports Gambling on the Docket - 1290 WJNO - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 01/03 - Zone Coverage - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Casino smoking and boosting in-person gambling are among challenges for Atlantic City in 2024 - The Associated Press - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- What Are the Gambling Laws and Restrictions in Idaho? - kezj.com - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- NFL losing luster as obsession with gambling, numbers takes over - Herald-Mail Media - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- How old do you have to be to gamble in Arizona? What to know about gambling laws - The Arizona Republic - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- NY State Revenues from Sports Gambling Tops $2.9 Billion - Yonkers Times - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Gambling problem help-line calls have tripled since legislature legalized sports betting - pmg-ky2.com - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Here's why Americans spend nearly 4 times more money gambling at casinos than in the lottery - Newscenter1.tv - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Another Landmark Year In Store For New York Gambling In 2024 - Play NY - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- As sports gambling in Missouri remains illegal bars and restaurants in Springfield try to get as close as possible - KY3 - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Israel 'gambling' on Hezbollah avoiding all-out war after killing of Saleh Al Arouri - The National - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- What should the gambling industry's New Year's resolutions be in 2024? - Gambling Insider - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- San Jose Police Arrest Five Suspects in East San Jose for Illegal Gambling, Prostitution - San Jose Inside - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- NASCAR 2023 Season Recap I NASCAR Gambling Podcast (Ep. 319) - SGPN - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Support for gambling addiction increases in Ohio during first year of legal sports betting - WTRF - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Maine lawmakers consider expansion of tribal rights to online gambling, land-based casinos - Yogonet International - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 01/01 - Zone Coverage - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Virtual Reality Casinos: The Future Of Online Gambling? - TNT Magazine - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- 2024 could be the year Georgia lawmakers move on gambling expansion - The Albany Herald - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Helpline Calls Spike With Virginia Gambling Expansion - Scott County Virginia Star - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- 2024 could be the year Georgia lawmakers move on gambling expansion - The Center Square - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- The River: The story starts in 1991 as Vanna White cuts the ribbon opening casino boat gambling . . . - NKyTribune - User-generated content - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Cowboys-Lions Saturday MNF Week 17: Open thread and gambling picks - Silver And Black Pride - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- NBA First FG Props - January 2 - SGPN - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- 2024 will be 2023 all over again; gambling going nowhere; Decatur is a mess; and more on Alabama Politics This ... - Yellowhammer News - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Lawmakers propose bills to expand tribal gaming - Press Herald - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Five arrested after San Jose raid uncovers illegal gambling, prostitution, weapons - The Mercury News - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- NBA First FG Props - January 3 - SGPN - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- Gambling addiction resources available for those who need it - Fox 56 News - January 4th, 2024 [January 4th, 2024]
- 'Get your house in order': Lawmakers admonish gambling regulation agency, which defends processes - Indiana Capital Chronicle - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Blaise Ingoglia bill could open gambling options in the state - Florida Politics - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 12/24 - Zone Coverage - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Gen Z Stocks: The Path from Gambling to Investment - TipRanks.com - TipRanks - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- API report warns that gambling, state lotto legalization comes with downsides - Yellowhammer News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Sports Gambling Special with Jason Sarney and Andy Slater of FOX SPORTS 640 - Miami Dolphins - Dolphins Talk - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- U.K. Parliamentary Committee Wants Premier League, Other Sports to Curb Gambling Ads - Covers - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Leader of state gambling regulation leaving for another job - Radio Iowa - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Brazil green lights online gambling regulation - igaming included - iGaming Business - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Shift to Eco-Friendly Practices in Online Gambling - Smithfield Times Eco-Innovation in Online Gambling: A Green ... - Smithfield Times - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- State Rep. Brown predicts vote on legislation with 'free-market - 1819 News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Saints-Rams Thursday Night Football: Open thread and gambling picks - Silver And Black Pride - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Kentucky Edition | Kentucky's First Problem Gambling Fund | Season 2 | Episode 145 - PBS - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Boxing Day Preview and Best Bets - SGPN - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- 2024 Elections: Changhua officials arrest four for election gambling - - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 12/23 - Zone Coverage - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- MGM Resorts International donates six-figure sum to gambling harms research - EGR Global - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- The Degenerate's Gambit: 2023 Week 16 NFL Gambling Lines with Tony - Football Absurdity - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- The Mailbag Episode + State of Professional Golf | Golf Gambling Podcast (Ep. 331) - SGPN - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Brazil Green Lights Sports Betting And Online Gambling Bill - World Casino Directory - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]