New Book Examines Roots Of Gambling Empire In State
ADVERTISERS
By RICK GREEN
Courant Staff Writer
October 14 2003
Brett D. Fromson, author of a stinging new book on the Mashantucket Pequots' rise to gambling fame and fortune, says some of his greatest satisfaction is coming from tribal members themselves.
A handful of Pequots have called to tell him his new book, "Hitting the Jackpot," is an accurate portrayal of a money-grabbing tribe unaware even of its own roots, he said. If so, this morsel is as juicy as the dozens of other provocative details in Fromson's meticulously researched book, an effort that rips the Indian cover off the world's wealthliest tribe.
"The Pequots were not a tribe. I would argue the Pequots today are still not a tribe," said Fromson, who has nearly two decades of reporting experience as an investigative and financial reporter. "This is so bogus. This is complete nonsense."
Nonsense or not, the Mashantucket Pequots' Foxwoods has become the world's largest and most successful casino. Fromson's book is a tale of how inept politicians, skillful lawyers and a family whose members were maybe at best 1/32 Indian brought this to Connecticut.
"This is the greatest legal scam I have ever seen," said Fromson. "The amazing thing about this story is that no criminal laws, to my knowledge, were violated. It is a combination of white guilt, good intentions, ineptitude, skillful legal maneuvering ... and timing."
With an eye for detail, Fromson's book retells the well-worn tale of how Skip Hayward and his handful of Pequot followers won federal recognition, eventually cutting a deal with former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. allowing them to install thousands of slot machines. The difference in Fromson's book is that he got a number of Pequots to talk on the record and gained access to dozens of confidential state documents.
"I came to this as a journalist with a real feeling that I wanted to be empirical. Out of that emerged a story that was more remarkable than I anticipated," said Fromson, a part-time Connecticut resident who lives in the Lakeville section of Salisbury and Manhattan.
Now, the reporter-turned-investment fund manager is looking to tell his story further, speaking at bookstores and libraries across the state. He sees a state still largely asleep, intoxicated by a steady dose of casino revenues and unable to take stock of where it is headed.
"What the state of Connecticut needs to do is to begin to grapple seriously with the whole set of issues these casino tribes raise. There has been no coordinated state policy. There has been very little public debate. As a result there has been very little public accountability," Fromson said.
"The state of Connecticut needs to have a coordinated and focused approach to dealing with these tribes," he said. "I continue to be amazed at how ignorant people are about these giant corporations that are operating within the state ... and there is hardly any accountability."
After leaving the Washington Post, Fromson worked as chief markets writer for TheStreet.com. He's now a general partner with a private investment partnership, the Margin of Safety Fund. Married with one child, Fromson grew up in Fairfield County. His father is Howard Fromson, founder of Ano-Coil Corp. in Vernon, which makes lithographic plates for newspapers, including The Courant.
Fromson stumbled upon the Pequots when assigned to write a story on the tribe while working as a reporter for the Washington Post. Years later , he sees no end to Connecticut's rapid evolution into a sort of Las Vegas East.
"Casino tribes will never, ever stop trying to expand and grow larger," said Fromson. "This is because there is so much money at stake."
Brett Fromson will speak about his book Wednesday, at the Hartford Public Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. On Oct. 29, he will appear at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison for a 7 p.m. talk and book signing.
