Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods: DUIs

From the Spectrum Gaming Report prepared for the State of Connecticut, Division of Special Revenue, available on the United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts site:


Page 193
Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”) Arrests
With the tremendous increase in traffic in southeastern Connecticut, so too has come an increase in DUI arrests. This is particularly true for many of the municipalities near the two Indian casinos.288
Norwich, for example, a municipality just north of the two casinos, had 129 DUI arrests in 1992; 252 in 2008. DUI arrests in Montville totaled 37 in 1992; 87 in 1997 and 116 in 2007.

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The increases come at a time when DUI arrests statewide have fallen. In 1992, they totaled 12,088. In 2005, they declined to 9,874, a decrease of 18 percent.289

(Chart included for comparison)

[Norwich] Police there made 158 arrests in 2007 and 252 in 2008, the highest number of arrests made during the 16-year span that records were made available to us.

Page 195

The Troop E Barracks consistently leads the state in DUI investigations. The barracks is located within two miles of Mohegan Sun, and about 10 miles from Foxwoods. Troop E conducted nearly one out of every six State Police DUI investigations. It registered one-third more investigations than Troop F in 2007, the barracks with the next-highest number of DUI investigations. Troop F is located in Westbrook, 24 miles from Mohegan Sun. The totals reflect only State Police DUI investigations.

Local and state police in the region have become increasingly concerned with the rising number of DUI arrests involving drivers who last consumed alcohol at a casino.290 We asked police in Ledyard, Montville and North Stonington to determine how many DUI arrests had a casino nexus. Police in those municipalities reviewed arrest reports to see where motorists had their last drink during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008. In Ledyard, nearly one out of four arrests involved casino patrons. In North Stonington, the figure was nearly one out of three. And in Montville, it was one of five. The figures only reflect those patrons who told police where they had their last drink. Roughly 20 percent of suspects refused to provide the information.

Page 196
Two motorists charged with DUI were involved in separate accidents that killed two Connecticut people in southeastern Connecticut in March and April of 2009. Both acknowledged to police that they had been drinking at Mohegan Sun, according to police.

On March 7, 2009, police reported that a sailor at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton drove a car into a van on Interstate 395, killing a Connecticut College student and injuring seven others. He allegedly was driving the wrong way on I-395.291

Michael Collins, Montville‘s resident state trooper, reported that the barracks received three emergency calls about the sailor‘s driving but troopers were 10 miles away at Foxwoods Resort casino investigating a report of a stolen vehicle. Dispatchers redirected the troopers to I-395 but they could not get there before the accident occurred.292

Meanwhile, Collins told us in an interview that he is concerned about a legislative proposal to extend drinking hours at the casinos, noting that his troopers ―are already stretched too thin.

On April 5, 2009, a Lisbon construction worker allegedly caused a crash on I-395 in Norwich that claimed the life of a 59-year-old woman from Willimantic, Connecticut. He, too, was arrested for DUI.293 Police charged both motorists with manslaughter.

In response to the fatals and other DUI-related fatal crashes in southeastern Connecticut, State Police and local police patrolled sections of I-395, Route 2 and Route 2A between 7 p.m. Saturday, April 11, 2009, and 3 a.m. Sunday, April 12, 2009. They made seven DUI arrests.

The Associated Press reported on April 30, 2009, that Mohegan Sun increased its efforts to spot gamblers who may be drunk in response to the two fatal accidents. Employees are receiving more training, and servers are limiting the number of drinks to two.

Norwich Police Chief Louis Fusaro said his department has not done a study of where motorists had their last drink but added he is convinced that for many of them, it was at a casino.

In a 1998 report, Fusaro said that two DUI-related fatal accidents that year claimed three lives. In both instances, motor vehicle operators admitted they had their last drink at one of the two casinos.294

In 2000, State Police were so concerned over the increase in DUIs that troopers began referring arrest investigations to the state Liquor Control Division in the hope that the division would cite the casinos.295

From 2002 to 2008, Mohegan Sun paid nearly $1 million to settle charges that it violated state liquor control laws involving nearly 300 casino patrons who were allegedly intoxicated or under age.

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The casinos are the only entity in the state where full-time Liquor Control agents are stationed. Each casino has five agents.296

Liquor Control agents also cited Foxwoods for more than 30 violations of state liquor laws from 2005 to 2008. The casino paid fines of more than $80,000 to settle the charges.297

Neither casino has ever administratively challenged a Liquor Control agent‘s citation, according to Suchy. The offenses are almost always settled with a $3,000 fine.

His agents, Suchy noted, must visibly observe an intoxicated patron. And then a patron must agree to identify himself or herself before a case is brought.