Another Step Taken, Connecticut Closes In on Sports Betting
@loumonaco
One of the final steps for Connecticut online sports betting to be fully operational took place Monday when the second compact was published in the Federal Register. It could clear the way for retail betting to begin in the state as early as this week.
With both compacts officially published, online sportsbooks within the Nutmeg State are expected to have a soft launch on Sept. 30 and fully launch on Oct. 7 in time for Week 5 NFL betting. That night, the Los Angeles Rams will visit the Seattle Seahawks for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.
The New England Patriots will visit the Houston Texans on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. ET.
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The American Gaming Association said in early September that it expected a big increase in NFL betting in 2021.
The two tribal casinos — Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville and Foxwoods in Mashantucket — have been preparing to take retail sports bets before online launches.
The amended compact between the state and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe was made official and published in the Federal Register on Monday. The Mohegan Indians’ compact was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 15.
Where To Bet In Connecticut
Bettors will have three options to place their wagers once Connecticut launches its sports betting operations.
FanDuel Sportsbook partnered with the Mohegans.
DraftKings Sportsbook has partnered with Foxwoods.
Rush Street Interactive reached a deal with the Connecticut Lottery to enter the market. Rush Street operates operates SugarHouse Sportsbook and BetRivers Sportsbook, but is likely to use SugarHouse in Connecticut.
An early October launch would conclude what has been a quick turnaround since Gov. Ned Lamont signed sports betting and online casino gaming into law on May 27. The Department of Consumer Protection then set the rules and started the application process for operators. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Lottery went through 15 operator applications before settling on Rush Street Interactive as a partner on Aug. 12.
Lamont told local media in mid-September that he expects the tribal casinos to launch their retail sportsbooks before the state’s online market debuts.
“My instinct is the tribes, hopefully, will do something collaboratively at the same time on-site, and we're just waiting for the final approval so we can get everything going online as well,” Lamont said.
The tribes received approval on the revisions to their gaming compacts on Sept. 9. Their publication in the Federal Register meant the tribes are nearing the launch of sports betting.
Online casinos will likely take some additional time to launch in Connecticut. In addition having retail and online sportsbooks, DraftKings Casino and FanDuel Casino will offer online casino games to Connecticut players.
Contributors
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.
