Sports betting will go live in Connecticut Oct. 7, launching a new form of wagering that was years in the making.
For the first time legally in the state, gamblers will be able to place bets online or at venues that the casinos and the Connecticut Lottery Corp plan to open.
What will it look like?
Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun are working with online sports betting operators Draft Kings and FanDuel, respectively. The operations will go live Oct. 7.
The Connecticut Lottery announced last month it will partner with Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive to run an online sportsbook that also will become active Oct. 7. The lottery is working with Sportech, which already runs off-track-betting outlets in the state, to operate up to 15 retail gambling venues across the state.
The retail sites will initially be at 10 Sportech sites in Hartford, Manchester, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury and Windsor Locks. Five more sites, including an additional location in Hartford and one in Bridgeport, will be announced at a later date.
Awaiting final federal approval
The U.S. Department of the Interior must post in the Federal Register changes approved in the compacts between Connecticut and the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots.
The two tribes also must complete certain documents and state consumer protection officials will then issue licenses.
Will college sports be included?
Gamblers may bet on college sports, but not on Connecticut college sports teams unless they are playing in an intercollegiate tournament with four or more teams, such as basketball’s March Madness, according to the state Department of Consumer Protection.
Will there be odds on major sports?
That will depend on what online betting operators offer on their betting lines and sports book, according to the Department of Consumer Protection.
The tribal compacts
Revising the gambling agreements was at the center of negotiations between the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont and the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots over changes to Connecticut’s gambling laws.
Under the compacts, the tribal operators of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino had exclusive gambling rights in the state in exchange for 25% of slot revenue that generated billions of dollars in revenue since the casinos opened in the early 1990s. With an expansion of gambling to sports betting and online wagering on phones, tablets and laptops, other players now have a share of the gambling business in Connecticut.
Some history
Negotiations to establish sports wagering in Connecticut go back to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that lifted a federal ban on state authorization of sports betting. New Jersey and Rhode Island moved ahead with sports betting as Connecticut sat on the sidelines, losing millions in potential revenue.
The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes insisted they have exclusive rights to gambling in Connecticut. Lamont said he wanted to take a “holistic” view of gambling to capitalize on digital advances such as phone apps.
How much money is expected from sports betting and online gambling?
Legislation establishing sports betting and online gambling calls for an 18% tax for the first five years on new online commercial casino gaming, or “iGaming,” offerings, followed by a 20% tax for at least the next five years.
It also includes a 13.75% tax on sports wagering. Connecticut is expected to receive $170 million guaranteed revenue over a 10-year contract with Sportech and Rush Street Interactive.
Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
