Sports betting operator DraftKings has secured a market access deal in Connecticut via one of the state’s two tribal casino operators, putting pressure on rivals to secure a similar pact pronto.
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Sports betting is not yet possible in Connecticut, though it is technically legal.
- Sports betting is not yet possible in Connecticut, though it is technically legal. In 2017, lawmakers passed a gaming package that called on regulators to establish the state’s industry pending a change in federal law. Connecticut’s law became active under that ruling, but it still needs some.
- As of December 2020, Connecticut online sports betting is in a curious legal limbo. Betting in Connecticut has been technically legal since 2017. However, CT sports betting isn’t actually available, and you won’t find any Connecticut sportsbooks or betting sites yet. If that all seems a bit counterintuitive, that’s because it is.
- We are regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement as an Internet gaming operator in accordance with the Casino Control Act N.J.S.A. 5:12-1 and its implementing regulations.
In 2017, lawmakers passed a gaming package that called on regulators to establish the state’s industry pending a change in federal law.
That change came in May 2018. The US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban that prohibited states from regulating the activity. No longer bound by PASPA, each individual state is free to create its own sports betting industry.
Connecticut’s law became active under that ruling, but it still needs some work. Regulators have asked for more direction, and state-tribe friction has hindered the process so far. There’s a clear appetite for sports betting, though, including among the tribes.
The future of sports betting in Connecticut
One thing appears to be clear: sports betting in the state of Connecticut will involve the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indians in some way.
Gov. Ned Lamont‘s spokesman Max Reiss told the Hartford Courant he wants competition in the state:
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“[Lamont] wants to sign a sports betting bill into law over the next few months,” Reiss said. “Any such proposal, however, must be designed to avoid and withstand endless legal challenges, include multiple, competing mobile platforms off the tribes’ reservations, and build upon the existing footprints of all of the state’s existing gaming operators.”
Unfortunately for Lamont, the tribes see sports betting as another casino game. The two have exclusivity to casino games in the state, which means no competition if the tribes have it their way.
Sportech, which operates 14 off-track betting facilities in the state, also want to be involved in the conversation.
When will online sports betting launch in Connecticut?
There’s no way to say when mobile sports betting might launch in Connecticut.
Most of the states in New England seem to understand the importance of mobile sports betting. Neighboring Rhode Island recently authorized remote registration and Massachusetts is expected to consider sports betting later this year.
But considering Lamont said he wants to sign a sports betting bill that includes multiple mobile operators, it seems likely mobile will be part of the conversation.
Legal sports betting basics in Connecticut
Connecticut has several forms of legal gambling outside of sports betting.
The state’s two tribal casinos generate billions of dollars in annual revenue from table games, slots and bingo. They’re owned by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, who are planning to build a third casino near East Windsor. Connecticut also has a significant pari-mutuel wagering industry (including off-track horse betting) and a state lottery.
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In 2017, Gov. Dannel Malloysigned the gaming expansion that granted permission for the East Windsor casino. It was accompanied by a “sweetener bill” which included (1) a new advisory council for large entertainment venues, (2) an expansion to the state’s OTBs, and (3) the direction to establish sports betting regulations if federal hurdles are removed.
Here’s what the law says:
The Commissioner of Consumer Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to regulate wagering on sporting events to the extent permitted by state and federal law.
Regulators in Connecticut aren’t quite ready to move forward, though. The Department of Consumer Protection asked the legislature for more guidance, spawning a series of investigative hearings on the topic.
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In the time since passage, lawmakers have become educated about the sports betting industry as they’ve looked to shape the Division’s framework. Lobbyists from the NBA and MLB have testified in support of CT sports betting, provided the regulations include integrity fees paid directly to them.