Some lawmakers have insisted that the state of Connecticut must be prepared for a possible ruling US Supreme Court in favour of sports betting. Such a thing could happen in case that a new piece of legislation calling for a thorough study of gambling is given the green light by local legislators.
The bill supporting a study on the gambling-related effects is the first of its kind in almost a decade. It was introduced earlier this week, with the Department of Economic and Community Development calling for independent research and professional services firms to make proposals for such a study on the impact that the different forms of gambling activities have on society.
The Department of Economic and Community Development revealed that the study would be funded with lottery winnings that have not been claimed. The firm or firms which are granted with the contract would have to carry out a study to check the public’s attitude to gambling and make recommendations for some ways for future expansion of the state’ gambling market.
New Bill Calls of Gambling-Related Analysis
As explained above, the new gambling-related bill mentioned above was introduced by the Public Safety and Security Committee. The bill contains a measure that would require the Department of Economic and Community Development’s commissioner to prepare a request for proposals of the desired research.
The firm which manages to win the contract, would be expected to analyse public attitudes towards gambling and later come up with a plan for possible expansion of the state’s gambling industry. Such expansion could include casinos constructed on non-tribal land, online lottery games, as well as adding sports betting and sports fantasy contests in case that the US Supreme Court rules in favour of New Jersey in its sports betting case.
This is not the first time when steps towards possible expansion of the existing gambling market have been taken. Back in 2009, a special analysis of the economic and social impacts of gambling, which was initiated by the authorities, found some flaws in the way the state Government was distributing its share of the slot-machine revenues generated by local casinos. The analysis also revealed a massive increase in the number of cases of theft or misappropriation of funds in Connecticut after online casinos were permitted in the state.
Since then, there was no other study on the matter. However, this could be changed soon, in case that the proposed piece of legislation mentioned above is given the nod.
The newly-proposed bill’s wording is not very comprehensive, but it anticipates the decision of the US Supreme Court in the case which involves a nation-wide ban on sports betting. According to some experts, it is quite possible for the ban to be lifted, especially considering the fact that more US states have demonstrated their interest towards adding sports betting operations to their existing gambling service offerings.
- Author
Daniel Williams
