Sports betting has started in Connecticut and gamblers were able for the first time to place a bet on their favorite sports team.
The Department of Consumer Protection approved the state licenses that Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun needed and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe is working with Draft Kings while the Mohegan Tribal Nation chose FanDuel to operate its sports betting.
Gov. Ned Lamont visited both casinos and placed ceremonial first bets.
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation it's aiming to roll out the first phase of retail and online sports betting during the first week of October. Sportstech has the contract to operate 10 of the 15 retail locations in the state.
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In a news release Wednesday, DraftKings announced its sports betting partnership with Foxwoods would begin today, allowing casino visitors to place bets at a temporary sportsbook.
“Today we celebrate a new era for our Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, sports fans, Foxwoods guests and Connecticut residents,” Rodney Butler, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal chairman, said in the release.
A Mohegan Sun spokesperson confirmed that the casino's sports betting will begin today.
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The state Department of Consumer Protection approved the “master gaming licenses” for on-reservation sports betting on Tuesday for the two tribal casinos in southeastern Connecticut after a recent decision from the U.S. Department of Interior, which approved an amended agreement between the state and Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes that allows legalized sports wagering, online gambling and other new forms of betting, was published in the Federal Register.
Kaitlyn Krasselt, a spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection, said DCP is still “waiting on some documents” from the lottery and its partners before its licenses can be finalized and the soft launch can be scheduled.
Sports betting is expected to bring in about $19 million in the first year and $23 million in tax revenue in the second year of the budget. Those numbers will increase with online gaming and iLottery.
