The General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee met with Goode, the Lottery Corp., executives of the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort casinos, their betting partners and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull. State lawmakers recently reviewed how expanded gambling is working. “They’re betting and betting and betting.” “They’re losing everything in a day because of the speed of online gambling,” said Diana Goode, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.
And finding help may be elusive as counselors are overwhelmed while financial aid falls short, advocates say. Bettors dropped more than $2 billion late last year as Connecticut launched its long-awaited legalized sports betting and online gambling, generating tens of millions of dollars for the state, the two tribal-owned casinos and Connecticut Lottery Corp.īut for some gamblers who too easily take on debt with gambling now available on laptops, tablets and phones, extensive advertising promoting gambling was a trigger to bet even more.
