Representatives of the two American Indian tribes that operate casino facilities in the state of Connecticut said on March 2nd, 2010 that the state's proposal to offer the game of keno to produce more revenue for the state would likely violate the gaming compact between Connecticut and the Indian tribes that manages casino gambling.
The representatives of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribe spoke before Connecticut's Public Safety and Security Committee during an informational hearing.
Proponents of the keno proposal said that is a lottery game that bears similarities with the other existing games of luck that the state lottery offers. But the representatives of the two tribes had another take on the issue.
John Meskel, the director of operations for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Commission said that he believes that it is a casino game since it is a match to their other casino games.
The general counsel to the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, Jackson King, said that Connecticut's Memo of Understanding with the tribe states that they have no obligation to pay the state if anyone else in Connecticut is allowed to feature commercial casino games.
The committee heard from a number of individuals who said that it is not clear whether the state will provide if the Indian tribe's challenged Connecticut's keno plan in court.
A representative from Connecticut's attorney general's office said that courts have ruled differently on the issue in different states and noted that the state's gaming compact with the American Indian tribes has not been questioned in court.
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Louis Blechdom
