Connecticut To Soft Launch Online Wagering, iGaming Tuesday

Connecticut finally has its mobile sports betting and iGaming launch date.

After its initial planned launch on Oct. 7 was delayed, the state’s Department of Consumer Protection on Friday notified the Connecticut Lottery Corp., and the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, that they may begin their seven-day soft launch period for online wagering on Oct. 12 at 3 p.m. ET. That would make Oct. 19 the official live launch if no problems arise.

Connecticut online casinos from the tribes — in partnership with DraftKings Casino and FanDuel Casino — can soft launch as well during the same time frame.

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Retail sports betting went live on Sept. 30 in Connecticut at the two tribal casinos. A temporary DraftKings Sportsbook opened at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s Foxwoods Resort Casino. FanDuel, in partnership with the Mohegan Tribe, launched a temporary retail sportsbook at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville.

“We appreciate the hard work of our licensees and their teams, as well as the team at DCP, for their diligence in ensuring these platforms are compliant with the regulations approved by the legislature,” DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said in the release. “As long as no issues arise, we have told the licensees they may move forward with the 7-day soft launch required in the regulations. Once the soft launch is complete, online gaming will open statewide.”

Two sets of parameters were listed for both the Connecticut Lottery Corporation and both tribes:

Connecticut Lottery Corp. Soft Launch

CLC parameters include:

• Online sports wagering within the state only;
• Soft launch will be limited to wagering by 750 patrons directly through the online platform;
• Online sports wagering will be limited to operation during certain times of the day during the soft launch period — 3-11 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, Noon-11:59 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, then running on a 24-hour cycle through the rest of the soft launch period.

Tribes Soft Launch

Mohegan (FanDuel) and Mashantucket Pequot (DraftKings) parameters are:

• Online sports wagering within state only;
• Online casino gaming will be limited to games approved by the DCP as of the start of the soft launch (more than 100 games);
• The soft launch will not include live dealer or peer-to-peer online casino games and will be limited to 750 people during the same times listed above.

All three approved mobile sports betting platforms in the state — FanDuel, DraftKings, Rush Street Interactive (SugarHouse) — may now begin creating/registering player accounts for the 750 people that will take part in the soft launch, according to the DCP.