If Life Is Just a Gamble

I'm told Connecticut is referred to as "The Constitution State" (it's on our license plates though I often wonder what the inmate labor that makes those plates thinks of that sentiment)  and the "Land of Steady Habits." 

Shortly after I arrived here in the autumn of 1991, legalized gambling, always called GAMING by the marketing folks as it's a more subtle sell, was permitted on the sole federally-recognized Native American property in the state at the time, the Foxwoods Casino, and then later at the Mohegan Sun, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. 

The two casinos are about a fifteen-minute drive from one another and together transformed the sleepy beyond-the-Connecticut-River-part-of-our-state-with-not-many-people-but-a-lot-of- nervous-farm-animals, especially at Prom Time, in a process that continues to this very day. 

The state of Connecticut gets a not insubstantial cut of the revenues from the casinos' slot machines and has recently cut another deal to allow them to host sports betting in-house, while the state offers it online and through that old and less than sexy standby the CT State lottery. I have yet to fully appreciate what becomes of all the money but I take cold comfort in the knowledge that no one I know knows either. 

I'm told you make your own luck and it seems to me Us Nutmeggers (yet another nickname) should be swimming in it by now.
-bill kenny