The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (CDCP) said a seven-day soft launch period for online sports betting and casino gaming throughout the state may begin Tuesday afternoon.
The CDCP said the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Mohegan Tribe and the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC) and their operator partners – DraftKings, FanDuel and Rush Street Interactive (RSI), respectively – are permitted to start online sports betting and casino gaming throughout the state beginning at 3 pm ET on Tuesday. The CLC is only offering online sports betting.
The hours for the seven-day launch period will change as it moves forward. Online casino gaming and sports betting will be allowed to operate from 3 pm to 11 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. The hours will expand to 12 pm to 11:59 pm on Thursday and Friday. After that, the online gaming regimen will switch to 24 hours.
“We appreciate the hard work of our licensees and their teams, as well as the team at [CDCP], for their diligence in ensuring these platforms are compliant with the regulations approved by the legislature,” said CDCP Commissioner Michelle Seagull.
“As long as no issues arise, we have told the licensees they may move forward with the seven-day soft launch required in the regulations. Once the soft launch is complete, online gaming will open statewide.”
The CDCP stipulated that the soft launch for the CLC will be limited to wagering by 750 online players. RSI, which the Lottery selected as its operator in August, has said it plans to launch a sportsbook in under its PlaySugarHouse brand in Connecticut.
DraftKings and FanDuel will also initially be limited to just 750 online players. The CDCP said DraftKings and FanDuel may not offer live dealer or peer-to-peer online casino games during the soft launch period, but they may offer more than 100 online casino games that have already been approved by the agency.
Sports betting at the two tribal casinos in the state, the Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun casinos, began with great fanfare on September 30. At the time, state officials and gaming executives hoped to launch online sports betting and casino gaming within the state but outside of tribal lands on October 7, but the launch was delayed a few more days.
DraftKings is finishing construction of a permanent sportsbook at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Likewise, FanDuel is also building a permanent facility at the Mohegan Sun, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe.
Early promotions currently available
The Mohegan Sun’s website says its online casino will offer digital slots plus table games, including blackjack, roulette and baccarat.
Meanwhile, on the DraftKings Casino site, promotions available include:
- Hot Streaks – players who play a minimum $5 hand on blackjack and achieve the highest winning streak by Oct. 31 will win $10,000 in free casino credits; and
- Refer-A-Friend – through November 2, when a player refers a new player and first-time depositor of at least $100, both the referring player and the new player will each receive $100 in casino credits that are valid for seven days.
