Former New York City official Kamal Bharwani is urging Governor Kathy Hochul to deny Mohegan Gaming a casino licence in New York due to a tragedy involving his son. Bharwani's son, Ethan, died from a fentanyl overdose on May 18 after collapsing at a blackjack table at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.
Bharwani claims that casino staff demonstrated negligence during the incident, as his son lay unresponsive for nearly five minutes before staff checked on him and eleven minutes passed before medics arrived. Footage from the incident shows that a player at the table continued gambling, while others who tried to assist were reportedly turned away by casino employees.
With Mohegan Gaming recently applying to build a $4 billion Freedom Plaza casino in Manhattan, Bharwani believes this history warrants denying them a licence. Mohegan is currently competing with ten other bidders for three available casino licences in the New York metropolitan area. Bharwani has also highlighted his previous donation of $30,000 to Hochul's 2022 campaign, suggesting a personal connection to the governor's office in light of his plea.
