Ex-police chief warns of gaming risks

something Connecticut’s lawmakers have deferred since since the first tribal gaming facility, Foxwoods Resorts Casino, opened in 1992.

“I was going to be the last person to believe I had a gambling problem,” Morgan told the CT Mirror in an interview shortly before he testified before the Public Safety and Security Committee. “I was the typical Type A personality. I rationalized. I thought I could control the monster.”

The West Hartford resident served on the Capitol police force from 1985 through 2006, spending his last six years as chief. But when he retired in 2006, “when I had time on my hands, I found I still needed to strive to do things,” he said.

When buying gasoline or making other purchases at convenience stores, Morgan would take lottery tickets in lieu of change. Eventually lottery ticket purchases became a daily occurrence and Morgan started going to Mohegan Sun, usually once a week, to play black jack or roulette.

Morgan said he, like many police and fire personnel, struggled with stress management, and for years felt he needed to solve his problem by himself.

“If I could just win enough, it will all go away,” he said, describing his thinking at the time.

The former chief chose not to disclose specifics about the amount of money he lost, saying only that it involved “significant amounts of money” and that his behavior contributed to credit card debt he still owes.

The low point came in November 2015 when he went to Mohegan Sun “to prove I could stop gambling — and I didn’t.” On the ride home he realized he needed help, and found immediate support in a phone call to his brother.

“I started to look at it differently,” he said, adding that his wife and daughters have been extremely supportive — and weren’t entirely surprised to hear him say gambling had become an addiction.

Morgan, who since has been trained as an addiction recovery coach, urged lawmakers to dedicate 25 percent of any new revenues from gambling to treatment services.

“My illness doesn’t have a pill to take,” he told legislators. “My health and wellness comes from my counseling.” Morgan added that “I have recovery and it’s fleeting,” noting that it only takes one lottery ticket purchase to bring his recovery right back to square one.