Later last call? Casinos, yes; New London, no.
Southeast Connecticut’s casinos are on board with the revival of a Bridgeport state legislature’s plan to extend alcohol servings in certain locations, though two senior New London officials don’t think it would be such a hot idea in the city.
Democratic State Assemblyman Christopher Rosario has introduced a bill that would introduce a pilot program allowing alcohol to be served until 4 a.m. at licensed locations in Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury and West Hartford serving like Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.
Currently, spirits can be sold until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and until 1am on Sundays through Thursdays.
Rosario had made a similar proposal in 2019, a year after the Mashantucket Pequot tribe began pushing for later final calls at its Foxwoods Resort Casino in anticipation of the opening of a competing resort-casino in Springfield, Mass Bay State’s late sale Approved of spirits for guests “actively” involved in gambling at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.
In 2018, the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes planned to develop a third Connecticut casino in East Windsor, about 15 miles from Springfield, a project that was shelved.
“Our position is unchanged,” Foxwoods President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Guyot said Monday of the extended spirits hours. “We still think it’s important to remain competitive with entertainment venues in other states. … Guests have choices, and we want to keep them in the state of Connecticut.”
Guyot said there’s no better place for late-night liquor service than a casino, citing Foxwoods’ more than 2,000 hotel rooms and numerous restaurants that can accommodate late gamblers. He said there was no data to support the argument that later alcohol serving hours would result in unsafe conditions on the motorways as patrons rushed to make the last visit to casinos.
More than 30% of Foxwoods’ customers are from Massachusetts, Guyot said.
“The Mohegan position was that such a time (4 a.m.) would make us more competitive and likely discourage people from chugging on the last call, and we could implement that quickly,” wrote Chuck Bunnell, the Mohegan’s chief of staff -tribal, in an email . “We also feel that if it’s expanded for certain cities, it needs to be included in casino licenses as well.”
Rosario proposed creating “nightlife entertainment zones” three years ago to broaden the scope of his bill to help businesses in certain locations compete with establishments in neighboring states that serve alcohol until 4 a.m. He said such competition primarily affects bars and entertainment venues in Fairfield County, which compete for millennials with venues in New York that have later hours.
Attempts to reach Rosario on Monday were unsuccessful.
“He has to do what’s right for his district, but I don’t see how something like that (later terms of service) would be welcome here,” said Michael Passero, Mayor of New London. “You talk about the largest city in the state (Bridgeport) and the smallest (New London). That doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.”
Passero said he would like reassurances that municipalities have the right to opt out of laws that extend alcohol serving hours.
“It would have to be a local decision,” he said. “I want to be sure that the vast majority of people in the city support it.”
New London Police Chief Brian Wright said he opposed Rosario’s proposal.
“Bars and entertainment venues tend to be hotspots for police departments around closing time,” he said. “They attract a lot of resources. They’re increasing their hours, and they’re going to stretch resources in and around those areas for longer periods of time. I don’t think the benefits (of working longer hours) would outweigh the potential dangers.”
“How much more sales are you really going to make in two more hours?” asked Wright. “In Connecticut, law enforcement in general is already understaffed.”
