State Senator Tony Hwang Exercises Caution in Voting Against Casino, Sports and Internet Gambling Expansion

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28), Ranking Member of the Public Safety and Security Committee with cognizance in the area of gambling, released the following statement concerning his votes against casino, sports and internet gambling expansion legislation during the March 19th Committee Meeting.

“After the February 28th Public Safety and Security Committee vote to draft language on issues of casino expansion, sports gambling and internet gambling, I released a statement explaining my cautious vote to draft full legislative language before deciding whether to support these measures any further. Unfortunately, the well intentioned work of the Public Safety Committee still did not fully address my concerns on the legal, financial and societal complexities raised by proponents of gambling expansion in Connecticut,” said Senator Hwang.

SB 11 would approve the MMCT East Windsor Casino without a review and approval by the US Department of Interior, opening the state to litigation from the Federal Government. This bill runs counter to the official opinion of former CT Attorney General George Jepsen (Letter submitted 4-15-15). HB 7055 would create a competitive bidding process, or RFP, without a deal with the tribes that would likely end up eliminating the tax revenue the State receives from tribal casinos. HB 7331 would legalize sports betting, including intercollegiate games. SB 17 would legalize online gambling.

“SB 11 (MMCT) leaves Connecticut exposed to serious legal challenges and, as a legislator, I’m not willing to take that risk in a shortcut effort to expand an industry which has seen consistent diminishing returns, including eight straight months of declining revenue. HB 7055 (RFP Process) could jeopardize the tax revenue we do receive from the Tribal casinos’ slot revenue, and the tribes have already made clear they will cease the transfer of those funds if the legislature approves an RFP process, thereby violating the tribal compact agreement.”

“When it comes to sports betting, I am extremely concerned that the bill was hastily proposed as a reaction to the US Supreme Court case (Murphy vs. NCAA). I strongly believe that we should not be allowing betting and wagering on college student-athletes. I still oppose Sports gambling even with substitute language excluding UConn, all CT college, high school and minor league teams. Internet gambling seems dangerously attractive to our younger generation who are constantly online and innately familiar with internet based games. Internet gambling has the potential of creating a new generation of addicted gamblers. How would we verify their age? How can we ensure we are not facilitating early gambling addiction? Lastly, the legislative approval of credit card use for online gambling opens the opportunity for abuse.”

“The language, lack of implementation structure, and inadequate counseling services addressing gambling addiction in these bills tells me we have not taken the proper steps to address the implications of expanded gambling in our state. I will keep an open mind in future debates and look to maintain a balance between our state’s need for revenue and the societal impact on those affected by gambling addiction.”

State Senator Tony Hwang represents Connecticut’s 28th Senate District, including the towns of Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Newtown & Sandy Hook. Hwang serves as the Ranking Member of the Public Safety and Security Committee which has legislative cognizance in the area of gambling.