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Connecticut’s two Tribal casinos are watching carefully for any developments concerning the Department of Justice change of stance as it applies to online poker. The DOJ last month announced that The Wire Act will no longer apply to poker. The decision allows individual states to move forward with their own regulation of the industry.
Connecticut lawmakers were among the first to embrace the decision earlier this month.
Under an agreement with Connecticut, both casinos give 25 percent of their slot revenue to the state.
Mohegan Tribe Chairman Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum said of an Internet gambling industry in the state: We're talking about the employment of tens of thousands of individuals."
Gov. Dannel Malloy, who is also for legalizing online gambling, seems willing to allow the Tribes to oversee this industry.
From NPR.com:
The governor is negotiating a deal that might put the tribes in charge of Connecticut's new online gaming enterprise.
Malloy says he's no fan of gambling, but he feels the state will lose big if it doesn't explore this potential new revenue stream. This is more important now as other states, including Massachusetts, enter the gaming market.
Connecticut feels they must act fast to keep pace with states like New Jersey, which have already signed legislation allowing sports betting with hopes of expanding into the online realm as well.
"They've announced they're going to have five casinos," Malloy told NPR. "New Jersey Gov. [Chris Christie] has announced that he wants New Jersey to be the online gaming capital of the world tied to the presence of the casino industry, which is competitive with our industry in the state of Connecticut. We've got to watch those things."
The federal government is also keeping a close watch. Late Monday night it was announced that a Senate Subcommittee hearing will be held February 9 to discuss the DOJ change of stance and regulated online gambling’s impact on Tribal casinos.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
