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Keno, Casinos, and Jackpots: Latest on Gaming in Connecticut

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Keno is coming to a location near you.

It wasn’t that many years ago that gambling was seen as a pretty good bet when it comes to improving the state’s economic situation. In Connecticut, two tribal casinos were thriving and spinning off slot revenues into the general fund. Then came the recession and declining revenues just as other states started to get into the gambling business.

Now, in a move that couldn’t have been predicted a decade ago, both state tribes have agreed to work together on a new casino to help stave off a threat from Massachusetts. That plan is now under legal attack.

Meanwhile, Connecticut’s dance with the parlor game Keno finally ended with its passage by the legislature but when will you see the game at a local bar? Then there’s the state of Illinois. It's giving IOUs to Jackpot winners because they can’t afford to pay out the prizes.

GUESTS:

  • Brad Kane - Managing editor for Hartford Business Journal and HartfordBusiness.com
  • Rodney Butler - Mashantucket Pequot chairman
  • Kevin Brown - Mohegan Tribe chairman
  • Harriet Jones - WNPR's business editor
  • Tom Zimmerman - Lawyer for Illinois plaintiffs looking to collect prizes from the lottery

Tucker Ives and Lydia Brown contributed to this show.

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