Malloy, State Democrats, Considering Keno in Connecticut

In an apparent about-face on expanding legal gaming in Connecticut, the governor and legislative Democrats are considering legalizing Keno and adding it to the CT Lottery roster.

Any such move, however, would require the approval of the state's two federally-recognized Indian tribes, the Mohegan Pequots and the Mashantucket Pequots. Both have a contract to run casinos on tribal lands in Ledyard and Uncasville and under those agreements they have the exclusive rights in Connecticut to operate games such as Keno. 

According to a report in The Day, Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce Bozsum said he'd be willing to sit down with Gov. Malloy and negotiate if keno was something the governor and the legislature were interested in pursuing. Which is quite different from what was said three years ago by Chief of Staff Chuck Bunnell in an interview with the The Connecticut Mirror.

Bunnell said to reporters ctmirror.org in 2010, "I can tell you that I think the [tribal] council would be deeply concerned about 600 to 1,000 gaming parlors opening up around the state of Connecticut." 

Mohegan Sun shut down it's keno operations last September, according to The Day, although Foxwoods still operates keno.

Under the plan being discussed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative Democrats, Keno, electronic games that in other states is played in bars, could raise between $30 million to $40 million in new state revenues, according to the Connecticut Mirror. That money is badly needed to break an impasse on the state budget, the website reports. 

Democrats had previously criticized a plan by the former administration of Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell to legalize Keno. 

Now, Republicans are arguing that Democrats are becoming desperate for ways to balance the state budget. 

“They’re grabbing at straws here. This is not a budget. It’s a compilation of numbers on a piece of paper ...” House Republican leader Larry Cafero told the blog Capitol Watch. 

“They’re desperate for revenue. What’s next? Cockfights and jai alai? Greyhound racing?”