CONNECTICUT SPORTS BETTING ON TRACK TO LAUNCH IN COMING DAYS

Connecticut sports betting is headed towards the finish line this week. This week, the amended compact between Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot tribe is set to be published in the Federal Register. Last Friday, this compact was uploaded to the Federal Register in the part for Public Inspection, with Monday set as the date for publishing.

On September 15th, the amended compact between the state of Connecticut and the Mohegan tribe was published on the Federal Register. It has not been made clear why it took more time for the publishing of the Mashantucket Pequot compact at this time.

However, what has been made clear is that now that both compacts are set to be published, Connecticut sports betting appears to be on track. Connecticut online sports betting is set to launch on October 7th, in just a few days. And, this will be in time to capitalize on the fifth week of the NFL betting season.

Now, online sports betting in CT is set to launch on October 7th, but legal bets may be placed in the state before then. Connecticut retail betting is allowed to launch on tribal land around a week after that particular tribe’s compact is published, according to the Governor’s office. So, this paves the way for Mohegan Sun to take its first legal sports bet very soon.

In fact, on this past Thursday, a picture was posted in the CT Mirror that showed James Gessner Jr., the Mohegan Tribal Chairman. He was showing off Lamont FanDuel Sportsbook-branded kiosks that were already installed in the casino.

And, Foxwoods, which has partnered for retail sports betting with the DraftKings Sportsbook, could be ready to take their first retail bets on October 4th. This is if this timeline holds true. At this time, neither casino has released an official date for the launch of their retail sports betting operations.

Another one of the steps that needed to be met in order to launch Connecticut sports betting was reached on this past Thursday. This is when the state of Connecticut’s self-exclusion program launched. But, this program only technically protects problem gamblers from state-licensed gambling at this time.

This refers to an operation like the PlaySugarHouse sportsbook that is going to be run by the Connecticut Lottery. But, both of the tribes have indicated that they too plan to honor Connecticut’s self-exclusion list. This will be on top of maintaining their own self-exclusion lists as well.

Connecticut sports betting is in a decent place to launch. Neighboring states New York and Massachusetts have not had any new developments in their own quests to launch legal sports betting. So, that means Connecticut could corner the market on those sports bettors as well.

As of right now, the New York State Gaming Commission has made the decision that it does not need to hear oral presentations. This refers to the six applicants that are hoping for licenses for New York sports betting.

And, Massachusetts has not made any progress on the Massachusetts sports betting front. The last progress was when the state House passed their bill back in July. Even the state Governor, Charlie Baker, has been making it known that he wants more action on this front.

Connecticut sports betting could poach bettors from both of these states by launching soon.

Written by our US sports betting industry expert, Allie Nelson. You can learn more about Allie's expertise here.