Governor M. Jodi Rell is once again pushing for keno gaming in Connecticut. However, Gov. Rell (R) wants the state lottery to offer the games and that might become an issue with tribal casino facilities in Connecticut. The two Indian tribes in the state have an agreement in place that permits keno gaming at their casino establishments.
According to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the existing state gaming law is not clear as to whether Connecticut can legally offer their own version of the widely popular game.
Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz said on February 8th, 2010 that most of these states have agreements in place where the Indian tribes' receive exclusivity of the casino games that they offer. He said that in the state of Connecticut, the deal seems to have some questionable area and Gov. Rell may choose to exploit that to the state's advantage.
The reason for the keno request from Gov. Rell is the condition of the state budget. Connecticut, like many other states in the US, is facing huge budget cuts and the millions of dollars that could be earned from keno could be useful in balancing the budget.
Other states have relied on different forms of gaming to help solve their budget deficits. West Virginia, Missouri, Maryland, Ohio and Kansas are among the states in the US that have legalized casino table games or added some amendments to their former gaming laws.
In the northeastern portion of the US, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are all going after the customers of the struggling casino industry in Atlantic City. Pennsylvania has approved casino table games for their casino facilities and Delaware legislators are considering of doing the same thing.
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Louis Blechdom
