It wasn’t too long ago that gambling and education was tied together when the Connecticut legislature said lottery proceeds would go the Education. But over the years an interesting thing happened, the money towards education seems to have been forgottne. It’s not hard to see why. Here’s a link to the State Web Site report on the percentage of revenue now generated to the State from lottery sales. Remember it wasn’t that long ago that the lottery agency was outsourced to a private company, in 1996. Since then the total pay-out to the state has dropped from near 40% to its current near 30%. Yet it looks like gross sales about doubled. Why is this?
It might be because the revenue generated is not targeted towards the programs it was intended for, similar to the Casino revenue.
From The Courant AP Wire:
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Lawmakers are considering a bills that would change the way slot machine proceeds from the two southeastern Connecticut Indian casinos are distributed. Two bills discussed before the Appropriations Committee on Monday would increase slot revenue to cities and towns.The state receives 25 percent of the slot machine revenue from Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun, estimated at nearly $500 million this year. Of that, only $85 million is returned to cities and towns, with the three biggest cities - Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven - each receiving more than twice what southeastern Connecticut communities receive collectively.
“What needs to be done is an assessment of what the impact of the casinos are having, and fund at that 100 percent before any of the money is redistributed,” Ledyard resident Nate Wiess told lawmakers.
State Rep. Steve Mikutel, D-Griwold, has introduced a bill that would give 51 percent of the entire fund to cities and towns during a six-year period. He said municipalities have consistently seen their share diminish as the state’s share grows.
“I’m asking the legislature to reverse that trend,” Mikutel told the committee. “Our municipal leaders and taxpayers are crying out for help.”
The committee also heard testimony on a third bill aimed at making Indian-owned land in federal trust eligible for state payment-in-lieu-of-taxes reimbursement.
