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Gov. Dannel Malloy says it's inevitable that online gambling will come to Connecticut. WNPR’s Lucy Nalpathanchil has more
Malloy made his comments Monday after a week of news reports and columns that have debated whether online gaming is good for the state and its residents. The conversation started after the U.S. Justice Department issued a decision last month that in-state Internet gambling does not violate federal law. Despite the opinions out there on gambling in general, the Governor says the recent DOJ ruling that allows states to participate in online gambling must be taken seriously.
“We’re going to have internet gambling in Massachusetts, in Connecticut, in Rhode Island, in California, in Nevada, in Mississippi, in Alabama. I could go through all fifty states because the Internet is the Internet. You don’t turn off the Internet at any state’s borders. It’s an impossibility. The nature of the decision is if it’s allowed in any state, it will appear in every state.”
Malloy adds, ignoring online gaming will have a direct effect on Connecticut's current gaming industry.
“We’re talking about the employment of tens of thousands of individuals. And we have a stake in protecting that industry, those two casinos, and their operations from the challenges that will be presented by other states in what they’ll do in gaming. And what online gaming will do in the United States as soon as it comes.”
Malloy says his administration is also looking at whether to allow Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun or the state lottery to handle online gambling operations and how it could financially benefit the state.
Since the DOJ ruling, New Jersey lawmakers are now considering a new state law allowing online gambling there.
for WNPR, I'm Lucy Nalpathanchil
