Betting on sports in Connecticut will finally be legalized effective Oct. 7, according to Paul Mounds, Gov. Ned Lamont”™s chief of staff.
The timing means that consumers will be able to place bets for week five of the NFL season, as well as on other sports. Hopes that the final approvals would be in place in time for the start of the NFL schedule on Sept. 9 proved to be in vain.
Four other states ”“ Arizona, South Dakota, Wyoming and Washington ”“ began their legalized sports wagering this month. Twenty-seven states now have some form of legalized sports wagering.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates Foxwoods, has through its wholly-owned affiliate MPTN CT Fantasy contracted with DraftKings to operate its online betting. The Mohegan tribe, which operates Mohegan Sun, has through its wholly-owned affiliate MGA Technology DFS LLC done the same with FanDuel.
In addition, the Connecticut Lottery Corp. is also playing a role in the state”™s sports betting future. Announced on Aug. 13, it has an agreement with Sportech Venues to offer sports betting at its 10 OTB locations, including Bobby V”™s in Stamford and Winners in Norwalk. The legislation grants the CLC the right to operate up to 15 retail sports-betting locations, including one in Bridgeport.
Connecticut”™s legislation imposes an 18% tax on new online, or iGaming, gambling for the first five years, and a 20% tax rate for at least the following five years. There is also a 13.75% tax rate to be levied on sports wagering.
