Connecticut considers bills on gambling expansion

Hartford — Just a year after approving a new tribal casino near the Massachusetts border, some Connecticut lawmakers want to up the ante and consider other gambling expansion proposals.

A contingent of mostly urban legislators has called for scrapping last year’s legislation. Instead, they want to open up the process and have the tribes or other casino developers submit proposals for the state’s first casino on non-tribal land, possibly in Bridgeport.

Meanwhile, there are bills this year to allow the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to offer certain online lottery games and to require the Department of Consumer Protection commissioner to draft regulations for sports betting.

They are among the proposals up for debate on Tuesday, when the General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee will hold a public hearing on gambling matters.

Bridgeport and New Haven lawmakers are among those advocating a new competitive process for Connecticut’s next casino. The push comes as the tribal project in East Windsor, which is being developed by the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots, has been delayed, pending federal approvals. The state and the two tribes are suing the federal government for failing to act.

“It’s the elephant in the room,” said Democratic state Rep. Chris Rosario, of Bridgeport. “If the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) approved it, then we’d be working on other opportunities for Bridgeport to get jobs.”