State of the States: Some developments in Internet gaming

"Governor Malloy of Connecticut said that it is about time to stop either preaching or debating on the good or the bad effects of legalized gambling. Past state leaders have simply accepted the revenues provided for the state of the two tribal casinos that they have. These past governors did not even provide much support for the gambling industry that most people do not hold in high esteem, but they had happily taken what was given to them.

According to Governor Malloy, in an era when the state needs to fight for every possible job and to find sources of revenue to meet the requirement for the fiscal year, the two tribes, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort casinos are two of the most successful businesses that the state will be focusing on.

Malloy further stated that, the gambling industry needs to be protected.

The two casinos have collectively provided the state with $360 million slot revenues in the fast fiscal year. This could be a little lower that the peak of $430.5 million revenues a few years ago, but still it is a huge sum. The more important matter is that these two casinos provide jobs for 17,000 residents and they are also major economic sources for both state and region.

It is a sad fact though that despite the high revenues and the jobs they can provide for the people, these casinos are still facing a lot of challenges old and new alike. New challenge included the opening of casinos in neighboring states and the ruling of the US Justice Department giving states the constitutional authority to decide on the approval and regulation of online gambling operations."

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Terrence Nash: State of the States in Online Gambling (ADI News 1/27)