gambling

The chairmen of the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots made overtures to the Hartford-area business community on Monday, taking questions on their plans for a third Connecticut casino. 

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority -- the body that runs the Mohegan Sun casino -- has entered a partnership to to develop an entertainment resort at a South Korean airport. The MTGA says it will work with the Incheon International Airport Corporation to build what they're describing as a gateway entertainment city.

The state legislature's Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee heard public testimony on Wednesday on the video lottery game keno.

House Bill 7054 would give the Connecticut Lottery Corporation the authority to operate Keno, with the exception of the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos.

The current enthusiasm for expanded gaming in Connecticut has prompted the Connecticut Lottery to float the idea of keno once again. Lawmakers will hear testimony on a bill later this week that would allow the lottery to offer keno, which is a form of high speed video gaming.

A study, paid for by Connecticut’s two tribal casinos, estimates out-of-state competition could soon divert $703 million a year from Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. 

The two are seeking to bolster their case for legislation that would allow three new gaming sites within the state, as a way to fight back against new facilities in Massachusetts. 

MGM broke ground on an $800 million casino in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts on Tuesday.

Company officials -- including Mike Mathis, MGM Springfield president; Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; and state Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby -- were all in attendance.

Connecticut is one step closer to adding more casinos. The legislature's public safety and security committee voted this week 15-to-eight in favor of the legislation. 

Connecticut lawmakers are considering an expansion of the state’s gambling enterprise, urged forward by competition from Massachusetts. Operators of Connecticut's two existing casinos believe that if this legislation passes, their business will remain competitive.

On Thursday, the legislation -- Senate Bill 1090 An Act Concerning Gaming -- was approved 15 to eight by the General Assembly's Public Safety and Security Committee. It awaits further action in the Senate to clarify details still under negotiation.

A legislative committee held a public hearing on a controversial proposal to add more casinos in the state. 

Snowstorms are being blamed for a drop in revenue and slot machine bets at Connecticut's two casinos last month.

Governor Dannel Malloy remains unpopular in Connecticut, according to a new poll. His approval rating is at 43 percent while his disapproval rating is at 47 percent. 

Mohegan Sun is to add a second hotel, years after canceling plans for a larger expansion as the recession hit.

Times might still be hard in the casino business, but Mohegan Sun says last year it had to turn away half a million potential room nights at its Uncasville property, because it didn’t have enough hotel capacity. Now it hopes it can set that right by building a seven story, 400 room facility that it will call the Earth Hotel.

A study co-authored by Yale University finds a link between problem gambling and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Over the years, it's been difficult for psychiatrists to classify problem gambling. It was once considered a impulse control disorder.

In the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, problem gambling is classified as an addiction.

A new study by Yale University, St. Louis University, and the VA finds an overlap between problem gambling and obsessive compulsive behaviors. 

The campaign for expanded slot machine gaming in Connecticut doesn’t appear to be going anywhere -- not this year, at least.

State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said Monday that his body will not deal with legislation that would allow video slots at off track betting facilities. Those entities have been lobbying hard for the change, but Duff said any move toward more gaming in Connecticut will have to include the state’s two Indian tribes. 

Mohegan Sun is joining a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after the decision last year to award Greater Boston’s casino license to a rival. 

The Springfield, Massachusetts city council will discuss a proposal on Monday night that would restrict the city’s mayor or councilors from working for MGM for at least five years after leaving city employment. Non-elected officials considered “major policymakers” would face a two-year ban.