Retail books got a bit of a jump on the competition as far as Connecticut sportsbooks go with an early launch. The two locations for these retail books are Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
Working their way through the regulatory and licensing process, online sportsbook operators were given the green light to go fully live on Oct. 19. This followed a week-long soft launch. There will be three primary operators in the state according to Connecticut law.
Connecticut Sportsbook Operators
FanDuel enters the Connecticut online betting market through a partnership with Mohegan Sun. DraftKings partnered with Foxwoods and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The third approved operator in the state is Rush Street Interactive.
Rush Street partnered with the Connecticut Lottery. To avoid any conflict with the existing two casinos in the state, Rush Street decided to use its SugerHouse brand as opposed to BetRivers. The actual mobile betting app will be called PlaySugarHouse.
The primary difference between the three brands is online casino games. FanDuel and DraftKings will be able to launch their iGaming apps in conjunction with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.
PlaySugarHouse will only offer mobile sports betting as part of the amended compact agreement between Connecticut and the two gaming tribes.
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Connecticut’s Soft Launch
All three operators participated in a soft launch on Oct. 12. Following the one-week trial run, all three mobile betting apps are at full functionality. This was just in time to start taking action on Week 7 of the NFL season.
This is actually an excellent time of the year to launch with the start of brand new seasons in the NBA and NHL. As the newest market in the Northeast, expectations are running high for Connecticut.
Just to the south, New Jersey sportsbooks set a new monthly record for sports betting volume with a $1.01 billion handle in September. That has to be encouraging for the three operators in this state.
The recent soft launch offered limited access to a limited amount of betting customers. As of Oct. 19, all sports fans 21 and older and physically located in Connecticut were eligible to register for an online betting account.
Along with betting on NFL games, full access to college football is available through sportsbook operators with no in-state restrictions. Each of these books will be offering a full selection of betting leagues and betting markets through their online betting site and mobile betting app.
Governor Ned Lamont’s Role in Legal CT. Betting
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has been instrumental in bringing legal sports betting to his state. He helped to clear a major hurdle by negotiating an amended compact with the two in-state gaming tribes.
Now that full legal sports betting has become a reality, he had this to say about the recent launch:
“This is an exciting moment for our state and our tribal partners. Connecticut has proven to be a leader when it comes to the gaming economy going back decades, and that legacy will continue with the launch of these new online options for all eligible residents.
I am very proud to say that I placed the first legal, in-person sports wager in our state’s history just two weeks ago, and I encourage those who want to participate in placing wagers to do so, responsibly.”
