| Senator
William H. Nickerson (R-Greenwich) announced that the Senate
this week adopted his amendment to prevent the establishment
of a third Indian casino in Connecticut.
In
Special Session on January 6 the legislature repealed “Las
Vegas Nights” gambling with the objective of preventing
any future recognized Indian tribe from referencing this
in court and thus asserting a right to establish a casino
under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
Last week the House adopted Bill 6527 entitled, AN ACT CONCERNING
BAZAARS AND RAFFLES, which allows certain bazaar games at
high school graduation nights.
Nickerson
said, “While I certainly sympathize with the Bill’s
objectives my concern is that by reintroducing ‘merchandise
prize wheels’ which were repealed in January the Bill
could re-open the door to a new casino. This concern is
shared by the Connecticut Alliance Against Casino Expansion,
headed by Jeff Benedict, and by Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal who wrote me saying that authorizing such merchandise
prize wheels ‘may pose a risk that a court would use
it as a basis for authorizing other casino-type games’.”
“I
am delighted that an amendment I sponsored deleting ‘merchandize
prize wheels’ from the Bill was adopted by the Senate
on an unusual tie vote, 17 to 17, with Lieutenant Governor
Jodi Rell breaking the tie in favor. The amended bill now
goes back to the House where it may, or may not, be acted
upon. However we can be confident that if it is acted on
it now poses far less risk of permitting a new casino, with
all the attendant problems that could bring.” |
