Tribes Want In On Internet Gambling: ‘Preparing to be Active Participants’
Connecticut tribes reacted to news that Rep. Stephen Dargan, co-chairman of the legislative public safety committee, wants to re-evaluate the state’s role in legalized Internet gambling.
Cheryl Allen, public affairs coordinator for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, operators of the Foxwoods Resort Casino, issued this statement: "Consumers are making many more of their spending choices online or through mobile devices, and industries that do not adapt to the digital consumer marketplace will suffer.
"The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation believes that regulation of Internet gaming, either at the state or Federal level, is inevitable. Regulation of Internet gaming will provide the much-needed player protections that are currently not available through unregulated offshore operators who are currently taking bets in the US and Connecticut. MPTN has been diligently studying the Internet gaming space and is preparing itself to be an active participant in the marketplace when regulations permit."
Under a current state “compact” with both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, each operation turns over 25 percent of its slot machine revenue to the state annually. This didn’t sit well with the tribes, which worried that offering legalized online gambling might interfere with the arrangement.
Nearby New Jersey is set to become the third state after Nevada and Delaware to legalize Web gambling as early as late November.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
