New England Gaming Organizations Meet To Discuss Future Of Casinos

The gaming industry in the New England comes together this week in Connecticut to consider the future of casinos and other forms of gambling. As WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports, this inaugural New England Gaming Summit comes at a pivotal time for the industry.

Mohegan Sun is hosting this summit, attracting participants from all the New England states. Its organizers say they hope to provide a unified forum to help both public and private sector leaders to understand the impacts of gaming on state budgets, community life and local economies.

Both Connecticut’s big tribal casinos have yet to see any impact from the economic recovery, as their revenues continue to slide, and Mohegan Sun just announced the first mass layoff in its history. In addition to the recession, they’ve been hit by increased competition in surrounding states, and the worst may be yet to come, as Massachusetts wrestles with legislation that would expand gaming in that state. But professor Clyde Barrow of UMass Dartmouth who will speak at the summit, says he believes the New England gaming market could still grow by as much as $2 billion.

“If you look at what’s happened in the mid-Atlantic region, such as New Jersey, New York, Delaware, West Virginia, the total amount of gaming revenues have actually increased, with the expansion of gaming in places like West Virginia and Delaware which have added table games, and then New York and Pennsylvania which have added slots at their race tracks. The total pie has actually gotten larger. Now that’s had a negative impact on Atlantic City, and I think you’ll see the same thing in New England—the total pie will get larger, but certainly Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun will bear some of the brunt of that expansion.”

Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, Rodney Butler, will be a keynote speaker at the summit, as will Mohegan Sun’s CEO Mitch Etess. Around 200 delegates are expected to hear sessions addressing the competitive landscape, social impacts and the changing regulatory picture in each state.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.