Legal online sports betting and casino gaming in Connecticut appears set to launch within days, perhaps as early as October 7, after the state made a self-exclusion list available for consumers and the federal government published its final public notice on expanded gaming through the state’s two federally-recognized tribes.
Both developments are seen as the final hurdles for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe to offer sports betting and online gaming at the Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun casinos, which they respectively own and operate.
According to a report by WTIC-TV, Paul Mounds Jr., chief of staff to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, said online sports betting and online gaming will be available in the Constitution State on October 7. A launch on that date would coincide with Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season.
Self-exclusion list made available
In preparation for the upcoming gambling expansion, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (CDCP) launched a statewide portal where consumers can voluntarily sign up to a self-exclusion list.
The CDCP and three state agencies— the Connecticut Council on Problem Gaming, the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC) and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services—have partnered with the two tribes to help consumers adopt responsible gaming habits and to recognize the signs of gambling addiction.
Lamont, a Democrat, said his state “is about to embark on a new future when it comes to sports betting and gambling, and with these new programs come renewed responsibilities for state government. We’ve worked diligently to have strong provisions to ensure our self-exclusion policy is effective and provides the ability for individuals to take the proper steps to hold themselves accountable.”
Feds publish notices on amended compacts
On Monday, the Federal Register published a notice from the US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announcing that it had approved an amended gaming compact between the state government and the Mashantucket tribe.
A separate notice announcing that the BIA had approved changes to the gaming compact between the Mohegan tribe and Connecticut was published in the Federal Register on September 15. It was unclear why the announcements were published separately and nearly two weeks apart.
BIA approval of the amended gaming compacts, as well as publication of those approvals in the Federal Register, were prerequisites to online sports betting and casino gaming launching in the state.
The amended compact with the Mashantucket tribe took effect on September 10, while the Mohegan’s amended compact became active on September 15.
PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook coming to CT
The three sportsbooks that will launch in October have already been announced.
Last December, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation announced a partnership with DraftKings. The Mohegan Tribe said it had signed a similar partnership with FanDuel in July. The CLC, which also was allowed to partner with a sportsbook operator, picked Rush Street Interactive (RSI) in August.
While RSI has sportsbooks through its BetRivers and RushBet brands in other states, it will launch the PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook in Connecticut with the CLC next month.
Connecticut’s new gaming regimen was developed by the CDCP and outlined in an 82-page document that was made available to the public on August 16.
