Casino gaming moves forward in Connecticut as the Senate voted to begin the process of authorizing another casino to be added in the state. A third casino is in the works after the Senate voted 20 to 16 to approve the revised casino bill. Despite approving the measure, the legislators want the process to be proceeded with caution to give the state more time to work out legal issues.

With the approval, the towns in Connecticut will be able to submit proposals for the new casino. The facility would be operated by two Indian tribes in the southeastern portion of the state. However, building a new casino would require legislature to have another vote, which could happen as soon as the next legislative session in 2016.

The bill will now move forward to the House of Representatives for review. House Speaker Brendan Sharkey has made it clear that there are potential legal issues that need to be avoided and the state is looking to the attorney general on how to navigate the issues at hand.

There is a proposal to allow the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegan Tribes to operate a casino together but this brings up the question as to if the compacts of the tribes and state would be violated if a casino is placed outside reservation lands. Attorney General George Jepson is concerned that a non-tribal land casino could cause the state to be in violation of the gaming compacts between the tribes and Connecticut. The proposals must be handled with caution to be in the best interest of the state and tribes in the matter of expansion.