{"id":24310,"date":"2019-06-11T08:26:58","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T16:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=24310"},"modified":"2020-10-19T06:55:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T14:55:30","slug":"connecticut-casino-push-stalls-chicago-casino-fast-tracked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/connecticut-casino-push-stalls-chicago-casino-fast-tracked\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut casino push stalls; Chicago casino fast-tracked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connecticut<\/strong> casino legislation was yet another exercise in futility this session, with the Lege gaveling the end of business<\/a> without any gaming bills being passed. However, a special session is anticipated, mainly to address an unrelated litigation settlement. Perhaps then solons will succeed in moving a \"\"bill to authorize a tribal casino in Bridgeport<\/strong>, something sure to send MGM Resorts International<\/strong> into a hot conniption fit. Indeed, the proposal\u2014which would call for $100 million in state and civic subsidies\u2014seems certain\u00a0to draw litigation, at least from Gov. Ned Lamont<\/strong>‘s point of view. “Instead of resolving outstanding litigation, it puts the state at increased and immediate litigation risk from multiple parties,” said Lamont’s spokeswoman. Responded a tribal representative, \u201cLitigation is part of the cost of doing business, whether you’re building a mall, a church or a casino.\u201d This cautious stance comes as a reversal for Lamont, who had previously expressed support for the idea. Both Mohegan Sun<\/strong> and Foxwoods Resort Casino<\/strong>, who would presumably run the Bridgeport casino jointly, are banking so heavily on it that they continue to stall on the start of construction for Tribal Winds<\/strong> in East Windsor<\/strong>.\u00a0Sports betting also came up short<\/a> in the session, probably not least because it also involves the thorny issue of tribal exclusivity.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Waukegan<\/strong>, Illinois<\/strong>, has been banking so heavily on being approved for a new casino that city fathers have even held land in reserve<\/a> for just that purpose. It’s a do-over opportunity for Waukegan, which lost the last casino license to Des Plaines<\/strong> in 2008. Meanwhile, Chicago<\/strong>‘s planned, 4,000-position casino \"\"looks like a big-ass opportunity<\/a> for the private sector, civic ownership have been blue-penciled by the Legislature.\u00a0\u201cWe tried, but it was very clear that was a proposal that wasn\u2019t going to make its way through the General Assembly,\u201d said Mayor Lori Lightfoot<\/strong>. She added, “People have been talking about a Chicago casino since casino gambling came to the state almost 30 years ago. This is the first time we\u2019ve actually got concrete steps in the right direction to make that hope a reality in Chicago.\u201d\u00a0Lightfoot has ambitious timeline, looking to get the casino open in two years or less. That sounds like a recipe for a quickie-casino solution but we’ll see what happens once reality sinks in, as it is bound to do.<\/p>\n

* Sports betting is trying to stage a jailbreak in Ohio<\/strong>. While the state Senate would restrict it to casinos and racinos, and the House would add veterans and fraternal organizations to the mix, representatives of bars, bowling alleys and convenience stores want sports betting wherever lottery tickets are sold<\/a>. \"\"As bowling potentate Joe Poelking<\/strong> says, \u201cThe ability to be able to offer additional entertainment options has become a key factor in our business.\u201d In the other corner is Penn National Gaming<\/strong>, whose Eric Schippers<\/strong> described a casino-only approach as “critical” to success, saying \u201cWe have well-established, rigorous compliance and responsible gaming protocols in place to ensure a safe wagering environment for consumers.\u201d Not only does the precent of shutting down renegade Internet caf\u00e9s not bode well for small businesses, Gov. Mike DeWine<\/strong> (R, pictured<\/em>) is against spreading sports betting beyond the gaming industry. As state Sen. Joel Eklund<\/strong> (R) wrote,\u00a0\u201cIf we are to allow it in Ohio, it must be carefully controlled to maintain the integrity of the underlying sporting events and the wagering itself … Sports wagering simply does not belong in every convenience store and gas station in Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then again there’s Ohio Licensed Beverage Association<\/strong> Executive Director Andrew Herf<\/strong>, who asks,\u00a0\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t they have some system to reward the people who\u2019ve been committed to the lottery for decades?\u00a0Why wouldn\u2019t you want that proven marketing stream churning money for the state? It seems like a blind spot in the policymaking.\u201d Herf suggests a compromise whereby the largest of the state’s 3,000-odd sellers of lottery tickets get in on sports betting, too. Booze boss Herf, perhaps short-sightedly, doesn’t think much of mobile wagering, arguing\u00a0\u201cWe believe that people who place bets on games watch more, stay longer, and that\u2019s really the upside for bars in Ohio.\u201d We shall see.<\/p>\n

* Encore Boston Harbor<\/strong> hasn’t even opened yet and it’s already creating parking problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* Almost 75 years after being vaporized by Allied forces in World War II, Nagasaki<\/strong> has emerged as a casino frontrunner<\/a>, acing Yamaguchi<\/strong>, Honshu<\/strong> and Okinawa<\/strong>. (The last was probably never a serious contender, due to its isolation.) With 13 million residents, the Kyushu<\/strong> province powers 10% of Japan’s economy. Huis Ten Bosch<\/strong> had already been kicking around a casino concept\u2014albeit in Sasebo<\/strong>, not Nagasaki. Also, it’s a relative lightweight going up against the heaviest hitters in Big Gaming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connecticut casino legislation was yet another exercise in futility this session, with the Lege gaveling the end of business without any gaming bills being passed. However, a special session is anticipated, mainly to address an unrelated litigation settlement. Perhaps then … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[251,166,58,171,112,245,167,71,95,33,243,233],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24310"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28554,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24310\/revisions\/28554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}