As reported by: The Associated Press
Foes of casino gambling in Connecticut promised Monday to seek federal legislation that would check the role of lobbying in Washington by Indian tribes seeking recognition.

At a forum in Danbury, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Jeff Benedict, president of the Connecticut Alliance Against Casino Expansion, organized a forum demanding a congressional investigation of the "influence of wealthy gaming interests" on tribal recognition.

U.S. Reps. Christopher Shays, R-4th District, Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, Nancy Johnson, R-5th District, and Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, asked the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform to study the matter.

The Eastern Pequots of North Stonington acknowledged in September they paid $500,000 to a Washington lobbyist to gain political access.

Late last month, the Connecticut-based Schaghticoke tribal nation was granted federal recognition a year after the Bureau of Indian Affairs rejected the tribe's initial petition.

Benedict has been an outspoken opponent of expanded gambling in Connecticut, and Blumenthal has questioned the BIA's procedures in recognizing Indian claims.

The attorney general Monday told more than 100 participants at the forum that the federal agency is "out of control, lawless, arbitrary and capricious."

Benedict said the dispute is a "contest between the citizens of Connecticut and the big money that backs these casinos."

Schaghticoke Chief Richard Velky denounced the forum.

"This is about a denial of our heritage and our rights as Native Americans, rights guaranteed in the Constitution and promised to us by the federal government," he said in a statement.

Residents said they fear the prospect of a casino in western Connecticut and warned of increased development similar to what has followed the construction of the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos in eastern Connecticut.

Wes Johnson, former mayor of Ledyard, said casinos have imposed higher costs -- requiring the hiring of police officers -- and a rising student population. Benefits have been nil, he said.

"I don't want a 40-story hotel going up like they have in the Foxwoods area," said Lynn Waller, 63, of Danbury. "The roads are already too crowded."

The Rev. Bobby Gardner of the Victory Christian Center in Danbury said he worries about the possible social affects gambling may cause.

"My main concern is seeing what it does to individuals and families," he said.