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Gov. Rell Vetoes Bill Allowing Off-Track Betting In Three Restaurants; Owners Disappointed

Posted on June 12th, 2010

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Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed on Friday a bill that would have allowed three more restaurants in Connecticut to offer off-track betting programs in their business establishments. Owners of the three restaurants expressed shock and disappointment over the news. The bill would have allowed simulcasting, usually of horses, to be televised in their restaurants, which would attract more customers, and produce additional income from rental.

According to Paul Young, executive director of Connecticut’s Division of Special Revenue, Connecticut law prevents the state from increasing the number of off-track-betting facilities without a precise bill approved by the Legislature and then signed by the governor to become law.

The rejected bill would have added three more establishments, namely, the Thirsty Frog, Shea’s American Grill in Manchester, and a new restaurant in New London, to the current number of facilities that can operate simulcast monitors, which is 12. The local governments of the three municipalities have already authorized the business establishments. Each municipality would have earned around $65,000 from gambling revenue, and the state would have seen an additional $250,000 a year.

In her statement Friday, just after rejecting the bill, Rell talked about how the number of off-track betting facilities across the state is getting higher, which she believes is a cause for concern. However, the owners of the restaurants said they did not expect the governor to veto the bill because in Rell’s budget proposal for this year, the governor recommended allowing a lottery-type game of chance known as keno, at restaurants and bars throughout the state.

Shea’s American Grill co-owner Jack Maloney, said he believes his restaurant will thrive even without the simulcasting, but, he added, it would have attracted more customers coming in for lunch, and he would have employed more workers. He said he saw no reason for the veto, and feels sad for the people who would lose their jobs.

Damian Fox, a partner in the Thirsty Frog in Willimantic, who has 19 workers in his restaurant, said he would find it hard to stay in business without the extra rental income that he anticipated from the off-track betting in his restaurant. Fox said he was all geared up for a general repair of the Thirsty Frog and was going to temporarily shut down the establishment beginning Saturday. He was also set to sign the three contracts of lease with the OTB owners. He said he and his business partners were counting on the simulcasting, knowing that it was going to boost rental income and patrons.

The owner of the third restaurant, William Cornish said he has already spent a large sum of money renovating a building in New London since November where he would put up a restaurant that would offer the off-track betting. He said he had planned to open middle of July or August, and he had already spent quite a huge amount for the rewiring, installing of new gas lines and a new sprinkler system on the building. He said he could not believe it when he was informed of Rell’s veto, and he’s still confused on what his next move would be. Last year, a similar bill was signed by Gov. Rell allowing a restaurant in Putnam and a stand-alone facility in Milford to offer off-track betting.

Scientific Games Corp. has licenses for 18 facilities in the state authorized to operate off-track betting. Scientific Games is a company that supplies automated, computerized off-track and on-track betting system for wagering on horse and greyhound races and jai-alai worldwide. Autotote Enterprises, a company owned by Scientific Games Corp., bought OTB from the state of Connecticut in 1993, and is now operating the OTB system in the state. It is not yet clear whether the General Assembly will change the action taken by Gov. Rell when it convenes on June 21.