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After two decades, casino gambling in Connecticut has become a regular part of life here. Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun bring in visitors from around the country and they’re two of the biggest casinos in the world.
The state relies on them for revenue, which comes from those who lose money while gambling. They’re also bigtime entertainment destinations for area residents.
We’ll talk to the authors of two very different books about Connecticut’s casinos.
Robert Steele is a former Congressman who wrote a novel set against the real-life events surrounding the casinos. It’s called The Curse: Big-Time Gambling’s Seduction of a Small New England Town.
"The industry is spending tens of millions of dollars to encourage people to gamble," said Steele. "I think everybody has to make up their own mind as to whether that is good or not good for society."
We’ll also talk with Skip Bronson. He’s a real estate developer who worked with Steve Wynn to bring casino gambling to the state, just before the Native American tribes entered the game.
Bronson said he asked real estate developer and casino mogul Steve Wynn about bringing a casino to Hartford. Bronson said Wynn asked, "Are you kidding? Do you think they'd ever go for something like that?"
Bronson’s book chronicles the political wrangling and their eventual move to Atlantic City for new casinos. It's called The War At The Shore: Donald Trump, Steve Wynn, and the Epic Battle to Save Atlantic City.