Lawmakers in the Connecticut state Senate passed a bill late Monday night to legalize online gaming and sports betting in the state. Governor Ned Lamont said he plans to sign the bill in the next few days.
The bill will allow the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, who operate the casinos, including Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, to offer in-person and online betting for sports games and fantasy sports.
It will also allow the Connecticut Lottery Corp. to have in-person and online sports betting, online keno and online lottery games. The Lottery can also have in-person sports betting at up to 15 licensed facilities, which include one in Hartford and another in Bridgeport.
The Lottery and the tribes will have to make monthly payments in return to Connecticut's General Fund ranging from 13.75 percent to 20 percent of gross revenues. The Lottery must also pay $1 million yearly to certain problem gambling programs, while the tribes must contribute $500,000.
In a statement from Lamont, he praised this “historic” legislation, noting that it “modernizes Connecticut’s gaming landscape.”
Lamont said after he signs the bill he and the tribes will seek approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior to amend Connecticut’s compact with the tribes. That federal agency must approve the changes to the compact before sports betting and online gaming can finally begin in Connecticut.
Sports betting is currently live and legal in 21 states, plus Washington D.C. It is legal but not yet operational in seven states.
