Gaming briefs for September 13, 2004

Monday, Sept. 13, 2004 | 10:54 a.m.

GOP candidate wants to limit casinos to southeastern corner

WASHINGTON -- Any new Indian-run casinos built in Connecticut should be located in the southeastern corner of the state near the highly successful Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun, the Darien Republican running for U.S. Senate said.

Jack Orchulli, a retired businessman running against Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., said tribal casinos should be contained and not scattered across the state.

If any more tribes receive permission to build a casino, "they should be forced to place it where the others are," said Orchulli, during a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press. "It should be set up like Atlantic City and Las Vegas -- we can't have them all over the state."

At least two tribes -- the Kent-based Schaghticokes and the Eastern Pequots, who are near Ledyard -- were granted federal recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The two tribes have financial backers and have said they'd like to build casinos, but nothing is likely to happen soon.

Poll: 44 percent of Kenosha residents support casino

KENOSHA, Wis. -- Less than half of Kenosha County residents back a plan to build an $808 million casino complex at Dairyland Greyhound Park, according to a poll conducted for the Kenosha News.

But the poll, conducted by A&A Research of Montana last week, found that more residents support the plan than oppose it.

Pollsters said 44 percent of county residents interviewed supported the plan, compared with 33 percent opposed. The remaining 23 percent said they had no opinion on the proposal.

County residents will vote Nov. 2 in a nonbinding referendum designed to measure support for the Menominee Nation's tribal casino. City and county officials will retain the authority to decide whether to pursue negotiations with the American Indian tribe.

The poll asked county residents if they strongly support, somewhat support, strongly oppose, somewhat oppose or have no opinion about the proposed casino.