On June 1st, 2009, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal urged Connecticut legislators to change the state's memoranda of understanding with two officially recognized Indian tribes before attempting to legalize keno in Connecticut. Blumenthal said that the proposal to permit keno in Connecticut, which is suggested by Governor M. Jodi Rell as an option to raise about $60 million annually in revenue, could risk the $400 million the casino facilities give to Connecticut yearly in slot machine earnings.
Under the gaming compact between the two Indian tribes and the state, no other individual within Connecticut has the right to manage a commercial casino game. Blumenthal said that the present law is not clear whether a state-run keno would be categorized as a "commercial casino game". Blumenthal added that Rell's keno proposal is not clear and does not specify the type of keno game that is being proposed. He added that they are not foreclosing but forewarning that more than $400 million could be place at a serious danger by unilaterally deciding on a statute to provide for keno gambling without first asking the parties concerned.
Rell said that keno, an example of electronic lottery that is played every 5 to 8 minutes, can be introduced by Connecticut as a "lottery game" and pointed how Attorney General Blumenthal have referred to keno as a "lottery-type game" in 2005. Rell added that she intended to make sure that they will proceed in a way that protects the state's relationship with the Mohegan tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot tribe. She also said that a lot of states are currently offering keno including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York.
The Mashantucket Pequots said in a statement that they acknowledge that the Attorney General has a good understanding of the slot machine agreement. Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, the head of the Mohegan Tribe, said that they will study the proposal after their legal team has had the chance to review the final language of the proposal. Both tribes' casino facilities offer keno to their customers.
State legislators had asked Blumenthal for his opinion regarding the legality of Gov. Rell's keno proposal. Rell suggested adding keno as part of $37.2 billion budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal years. The governor and the Democrat-led General Assembly have been unable to agree on a final budget, which is hindered by a big deficit. The Legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates that the budget deficit will grow to $8.7 billion while Governor Rell's offices estimate it at $7.95 billion. The co-chairmen of the Legislature's Public Safety Committee, which studies gaming matter, have different beliefs about keno.
Representative Stephen Dargan, a Democrat from West Haven, said that he likes to gamble and is willing to try a compromise on the keno game. Senator Andrea Stillman, a Democrat from Waterford, said that she thinks that they need a lot of time to study the proposal and that the revenue estimates of Governor are exaggerated. She is also concern of expanding gaming and its effects.
While the details of Rell's keno plan have not been released, supporters said that keno would likely be offered at bars, private clubs, restaurants and bowling alleys. One group that supplies keno devices, Scientific Games Corporation, has been meeting with state legislators, the Connecticut Bowling Proprietors Association and the Connecticut Restaurant Association about the idea. Gov. Rell's budget director, Robert Genuario, said that under the governor's newest budget proposal, Connecticut would borrow against the next ten years of expected keno profits, producing $400 million.
[07-07]
John Sullivan
