What Casinos Will do in Mass.: A Profile of Norwich, Conn.

Norwich, Conn.

November 20, 2011

Few people know this, but Foxwoods Casino wasn't always Foxwoods. Before it became the wonder in the Connecticut woods, Foxwoods was a bingo hall. I remember driving past it each summer when I was a kid sitting in the back of my family's station wagon, on the way to the Connecticut shore. A short road off of state highway 2 led to a low rise building. It looked pretty depressing, but at least it meant we were more than halfway to the coast and the family boat.

Foxwoods Casino opened in late 1992, when I was a junior in high school. The region was still struggling through a tough economic recovery, as the recession of the early 90's took away the demand for the region's defense-industry-driven technology and manufacturing. Foxwoods promised to be part of the answer, bringing jobs and revitalizing the beleaguered towns surrounding it. A sister casino, Mohegan Sun, came a few years later, located roughly ten minutes or so by car from Foxwoods, within the village of Uncasville, nestled by the Thames River at the site of the former United Nuclear Corporation, which was a victim of the aforementioned recession.

Uncasville, as the crow flies, is only a few miles from downtown Norwich, an area of the state that has struggled for decades to shake off an economic shroud suffocating its own development. It was one area the casinos were supposed to help.

It would make sense that to see what we can expect here in Massachusetts, now that casinos are on the way, one would travel to Norwich to see what has happened there in the 15 or 20 years since casinos first arrived. I warn you, it's a pretty depressing trip, for the depression that still grips downtown Norwich is a reason I don't live there.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I took the trip back to downtown Norwich with my brother Brett and his wife Holly. We drove from my parents' house after celebrating the 90th birthdays of both of my grandmothers, who were born in Norwich.

So I write this post with quite a bit of trepidation, because I love the area of Connecticut that I grew up in. The Norwich Free Academy, my high school with cheery blossoms, a museum and a sprawling campus befitting a small college, is only a short jog away from where I took the pictures and the videos for this post. It is my love of the area that fuels my frustration now, and I feel this post (as well as those sure to follow it on this topic) is necessary to show my neighbors in Massachusetts what to expect, and to explain why I am so definitively opposed to casinos here. So let's begin our tour.

All the pictures below were taken on Main Street in Norwich, Conn. on Sunday, November 20, 2011.

Not sure what Brett is looking at, as the shop is empty.

Last time I was here, this was a nightclub, which gave me hope, as this building was previously empty. It's empty again.

Pretty uninviting. Probably not best to be here at night.

Just one of many condemned buildings.

A pawn shop. Not that I needed to write that.

Just scary images all around.

The only businesses that have survived in downtown Norwich are those related to the courthouse there. There is a large law firm and a bail bond agency. Oh and then there's Billy Wilson's, the local watering hole.

We stopped in at a newer pub, The Harp & Dragon, for lunch. Amazingly, it was actually a pleasant experience. The football games were on, and the bartenders were wearing football uniforms. I spotted one of my high school classmates there.

"This place is pretty cool," I shouted out.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Makes you forget you are in Norwich."

Next time I go there, I will report back if the Harp & Dragon is still an option.

The Casino Miss-Out Watch

Debate is soon to begin again within the Mass. state legislature to allow casinos in Massachusetts. My views on casinos are clear. I don't like them.

More immediately, however, I am going to start watching the opportunities that we miss out on here in Mass. because of the casino debate. I noted one example the last time debate ensued on Beacon Hill.

There are much more fruitful discussions we could be having right now about how to stimulate job growth. Unfortunately, all those conversations will be put on hold... hopefully not for long.

While Casinos Distracted Us All

The debate over casinos in Massachusetts, which came to a climax overnight, has distracted Bay State lawmakers from economic programs that could be creating jobs in the state.

Thursday's New York Times profiled programs in place in several states that take advantage of money provided in the federal stimulus bill to subsidize jobs for small businesses. The article talks about a few scenarios, particularly in Illinois, where small businesses have been able to fill openings they otherwise would have left alone, were it not for the jobs programs. As a result, those companies were able to grow and, in turn, potentially hire additional workers.

It's frustrating that Massachusetts was not one of the states listed as having such a small business program. I would gander that legislators on Beacon Hill have been so distracted by casinos that they have not had a chance to think about other programs that would help the economy in the Commonwealth. The casino debate has sucked the oxygen out of the larger discussion of how to create jobs here; ironically casinos themselves suck the economic oxygen out of the towns around them (something I outlined in a previous blog entry).

I am sure there are many other initiatives that, like the small business jobs subsidy programs, would help tremendously. My friend Tom Hopcroft leads the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, which supports the many technology-centered markets in the state. Earlier this year, at the group's annual meeting, the membership pledged to work toward creating a significant number of new jobs. Speakers discussed how to make it happen. It was very informative, however it was too bad that no elected officials were present.

Proponents of the casinos argue they will create jobs, and there is no dispute there. They also lash out at their opposition, saying lawmakers (including the Governor) who do not support casinos or the most recent casino proposals are voting against the jobs those casinos would create. The deeper truth is that there's no telling how many jobs could have already been created had the legislature focused on other programs---seeing success in other states---that can create jobs. Those programs were lost at the craps table.

P.S. The New York Times article is just one of many stories I have read recently that shows how the federal stimulus bill passed early last year has helped the economy in measurable ways. It's too bad many have already made up their minds that the bill was a failure.

P.P.S. Very pleased that my State Senator, Sonia Chang-Diaz, and my State Representative, Marty Walz, both voted against the casino bill.

Editor's Note: Referenced story is: "The New New Deal: Public Money for Private Jobs," New York Times, July 29, 2010.

Why Casinos are bad

I really hope my state representative, Marty Walz, votes against the casino bill that is before the Massachusetts House this week. And should the bill pass that legislative body, I hope my state senator, Sonia Chang-Diaz, will vote no if she's given the chance.

Casinos are bad for local economies, and I base my opinion on personal experience. I was born in southeastern Connecticut when what is now Foxwoods was merely a bingo hall. In the early 90's, the region bore the brunt of that time period's recession.

While a young kid, the defense industry fueled much of the economy in southeastern Connecticut. The sign across the Thames River in Groton still reads, "The Submarine Capital of the World." Problem is, you don't need submarines in a post Cold War era. And you don't need the parts that supply them, either.

In the midst of the economic malaise that affected my friends and family, there arose a wonder in the Connecticut woods. Foxwoods promised jobs, and it brought them. Make no mistake about it, casinos do produce jobs, and Foxwoods created them at a time when they were so desperately needed. Sound familiar?

Except I don't live in southeastern Connecticut today. To put it frankly, there isn't much happening there beyond the casinos. It took a herculean effort a few years back by the region's U.S. Congressman to save the U.S. Sub Base along that same Thames River. Many argued that its shuttering might have been a final economic straw for the region, and I agree with them.

The problem with destination casinos (which is what the Governor and others are arguing for) is that they try very hard to be destinations. I did a report when I was a senior in high school that discussed, in part, the psychological manipulation on display within Foxwoods. There are no clocks. There are few windows. There's a lot of bells and whistles (literally), generating excitement and adrenaline. The whole atmosphere is intended to do one thing---keep people there.

And Foxwoods and nearby Mohegan Sun have succeeded. Between the "wonder of it all"---the restaurants and live entertainment and sporting events and all those darn chances to win---it's no wonder that those that go decide not to leave.

One of my friends went to Foxwoods late last year. She explained how to save cost, she was going to stay in nearby Mystic, rather than on the grounds of the casino. Now, I love Mystic. My parents live there. My brother operated a marine business there, and his wife works there. Mystic is a great Connecticut town, and prior to the opening of the casinos, it was the main tourist attraction in the region. Not any more.

Someone asked my friend where she was going to go to dinner when she was in Connecticut. "I don't know," came the reply. "Probably somewhere in the casino."

To which I suggested: "Why not go out to dinner in Mystic?"

The story of my friend best exemplifies why I don't like casinos. From an economic perspective, casinos do not to contribute to the surrounding communities, but rather take from them.

The wonder in the Connecticut woods still is the wonder contained to the Connecticut woods. The nearby city of Norwich, economically depressed since I was born, is still economically depressed. It's downtown is as empty as when I was a kid. The restaurants of Mystic still receive their best business during the summer from out-of-state beachcombers, not from casino traffic (this is based on a first-hand interview with a waitress). It pains me to write this; Connecticut will always have a very special place in my heart.

Speaking of "wonders," I wonder what we all could have come up with to help spur economic activity over the past three years had we not spent so much time worrying about casinos. My concern is that a casino in Massachusetts will have the same effect as Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Why would a visitor to a casino near Boston want to go into the city? Why would they want to peruse shops on Newbury; visit an historic site downtown, or experience the city's varied neighborhoods?

For non-economic reasons, my dad hates gambling. He doesn't even buy lottery tickets. I have gambled from time to time, and I have had a great time visiting Las Vegas with friends on a couple of occasions. Notwithstanding, I am sure my distaste for casinos is somewhat influenced by my dad. Regardless, my opposition to casinos in Massachusetts is driven largely by what I experienced as a kid. I think my reasons are economic. And beyond the jobs casinos can create, I worry that the economic consequences of Massachusetts casinos would be harsh.

*** UPDATE: I heard from Jamie Hellen, Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz's chief of staff, that she will vote against any bill for expanding gambling. Yay Sonia!