Sports Betting In Ct
The deal with the Mohegans would tax online gaming at 20%, sports wagering at 13.75%, and allow the Connecticut Lottery to operate 15 retail sports betting locations, including at venues in. The sports betting world was dealt a pleasant surprise on Jan. 20 when FanDuel, a leading sportsbook in the U.S., announced that it would go live in Virginia starting the next day, Thursday, Jan. Since then, a few more books have joined the party, giving Virginia sports bettors some options in the space. Sports betting was legalized in the nation’s capitol in December 2018, with both retail and online operations managed by the DC Lottery live by summer. Virginia: YES: YES: JANUARY 21, 2021: A fairly comprehensive Virginia sports betting bill was signed into law in April 2020. Online sports betting launched in the state in the first weeks of 2021. Launched as a fantasy sports platform in 2012, Boston-based DraftKings has evolved into a major player in the burgeoning sports betting industry, with its online sportsbook in 12 states including.
Some in Connecticut have been supportive of internet gaming for years. Most notably, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut have vocalized their support for igaming to generate more revenue. Lawmakers like State Senator Catherine Osten have filed bills year after year to legalize sports betting and online gambling.
Ned Lamont and Mohegan Tribe Chairman James Gessner Jr. Have announced an agreement that would allow the state of Connecticut to modernize gaming options available to state residents.
They now have a proposed bill – SB.146 – behind which to put their efforts and advocacy.
There are several reasons to suspect that those lawmakers have a better chance to pass their bill this year than any in the past. In 2021, Connecticut could very well join New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania in offering legal online casino games and also Nevada in legalizing online poker.
Years of Petitioning
Connecticut is no stranger to gambling, one of the early adopters of a state lottery that launched in 1971. Bingo was legalized long ago, as was horse racing, off-track betting, charity gambling, etc.
When the US Congress passed the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act (IGRA) of 1988, two Connecticut tribes stepped up to sign compacts with the state government. The Mashantucket Pequots opened its Foxwoods Resort Casino in 1992, and the Mohegans opened the Mohegan Sun a few years later. The Mashantucket Pequots fairly recently signed a deal with MGM to expand gambling opportunities. Both tribes operate fully-functional casino resorts.
Both tribes also expressed support for online gambling after Black Friday.
It wasn’t until 2018 that lawmakers seemed to take the idea of igaming more seriously, having seen New Jersey grow its online industry for years with much success. That year, the Public Safety and Security Committee held a hearing to examine the issue further, and both tribes represented strong support for online casino games, daily fantasy sports, and online poker.
However, at that time, too many lawmakers had no concept of how online gaming would work and how it could protect customers. So, the House Majority and Deputy Minority Leaders shut it down. A bill in 2019 passed through that the Senate Public Safety and Security Committee, but the bill died on the floor.
CT tribal gaming, sports betting – Osten preparing to resubmit gaming bill https://t.co/Cn4EJEM2jp via @thedayct
— Laura Briggs (@Fantini_LauraB) January 21, 2020
In February 2020, State Senator Catherine Osten again put forward an online gambling and sports betting proposal. A bipartisan group of lawmakers signed on to a SB.21, and the tribes were enthusiastic. The problem was that Connecticut had been at the center of a federal court case between MGM and the US Department of the Interior regarding a new casino. Another problem was tension between Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and tribal leaders.
Time to Reconsider Yet?
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States and casinos closed indefinitely, the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments joined the tribes in requesting that Lamont sign an executive order to allow online gaming to offset the revenue losses. Lamont denied the request and punted the issue to the legislature.
Meanwhile, Connecticut lawmakers watched New Jersey and then Pennsylvania collect millions upon millions of dollars in igaming revenue, as well as online sports betting revenue, throughout 2020. Delaware collected some revenue online as well. And Michigan worked all year to make its igaming laws more amenable to online poker operators to launch in early 2021, and the first sites did just that.
In December 2020, Lamont showed that he had a change of heart. He told the Hartford Courant that he was working with the tribes to negotiate on the topic of sports betting. They still had to chat with lottery and off-track betting operators, but Lamont sounded positive. “We’re trying to reach an accommodation where we can get sports betting and even iGaming going in the state – doing it in a way that doesn’t prompt a litigation war of sorts, and we’re trying to work that through.”
New Year, New Priorities
As the Connecticut legislature prepared to return to work during the first week of 2021, the Hartford Courant reported on the most significant issues to be discussed. In light of the pandemic and the disastrous economic situation that resulted, a primary goal would be to find new revenue streams for the state without raising taxes.
One of those revenue streams could be sports betting. Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney said that 2021 needed to be the year to come to an agreement on the subject. The Mashantucket Pequots had just signed a deal for online sports wagering with DraftKings, and the tribes were lobbying hard for it.
Enter Osten and 16 of her fellow legislators (and five cosponsors) got together to create a proposal that would kick things off. Proposed SB.146 is a bipartisan, bicameral act “authorizing sports wagering, internet gaming, internet lottery and internet keno.”
They referred the bill to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security on January 13, and they voted it to draft on January 21. (All members but one voted for a draft bill.)
Where’s Online Poker?
The bill on the table is merely a placeholder. A much more detailed bill must be written before it hits the floor of the Senate for a vote.
In the meantime, it is important to note that the word “poker” does not appear in the proposal.
The bill calls for amended Connecticut statutes to authorize the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes to conduct “sports wagering on Indian lands, online sports wagering, and online casino gaming.” The Connecticut Lottery would put draw game tickets and keno online. And it would authorize the proper regulatory body to “require reasonable procedures and data security standards for Internet gaming.”
Clearly, this is a rough overview.
If the poker community had some type of lobbying group or representative organization, this would be the perfect time for them to speak with those Connecticut bill sponsors to insist that online poker be a part of the final bill.
Connecticut lawmakers back sports betting, online gambling to fund debt-free community college – Hartford Courant https://t.co/UtPAagZApS
— Cathy Osten (@CathyOsten) February 6, 2021
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ConnecticutGov. Ned Lamont has filed legislation that could make CT sports betting a reality this year.
Lamont included sports betting revenues in his budget on Wednesday. To make that happen, he also filed a bill to expand state tribal gaming compacts to include sports betting and online casino.
“Our neighboring states are moving forward with sports betting and i-gaming, and Connecticut should not leave these opportunities for other states to benefit from our inaction,” Lamont said in his budget address.
“My administration has been in active negotiations with our tribal partners to bring the state’s gaming economy into the digital age. And I am submitting legislation which reflects what I believe to be the best bet in ending this stalemate of inaction in a way which is in the best interest for the entire state.”
What it means for CT sports betting
Lamont appears to be essentially acquiescing to the CT tribes. They have long made it clear they won’t let Connecticut online sports betting happen without them in charge. They have exclusive gaming rights in Connecticut in exchange for 25% of slot revenue and claim those rights extend to sports.
After years of negotiation and legal opinions, Lamont is apparently accepting that.
The Governor’s budget proposal assumes $47.3 million in FY 2023 from the expansion of gaming.
Turnaround for Lamont?
As recently as last year, Lamont indicated support for competition in the Connecticut sports betting market. Spokesman Max Reiss told the Hartford Courant:
“[Lamont] wants to sign a sports betting bill into law over the next few months,” Reiss said. “Any such proposal, however, must be designed to avoid and withstand endless legal challenges, include multiple, competing mobile platforms off the tribes’ reservations, and build upon the existing footprints of all of the state’s existing gaming operators.”
Sports Betting In China
The stakeholders in the debate took part in another legislative hearing last month. That meeting produced seemingly as little progress as any over the years.
Rep. Kurt Vail said in that hearing:
“I know this: I’ve been up here seven years on this committee. We’ve talked about this over and over and we end up with nothing because everyone takes their ball, goes in the corner and refuses to give an inch.
“And here we have, again it’s what, 2021? 2015 we were talking about this and we have nothing. So somebody needs to give up something and I think there’s a way for everybody to win.”
The home stretch?
Even the inclusion of sports betting in the budget is a big deal.
Sports Betting In Ct
“When gambling expansion is a line-item in the budget, it means Governor Lamont is committed to get a deal done,” said gaming industry lobbyist John Pappas.
“Throughout this entire process the tribes have made clear that retaining their exclusivity is a priority. I don’t think the proposed revenue will materialize unless that is part of the agreement. Internet betting in Connecticut is going to have to be a limited market to start, or no market at all.”
What’s next for CT sports betting?
CT legislators still need to approve a bill to actually legalize and regulate sports betting. However, that is already in motion via SB 146, which has 17 sponsors from both chambers. There is a competing bill, SB 570, that lacks the clout of SB 146.
On the face of it, the big winners appear to be DraftKings and Kambi.
DraftKings has a deal to run betting for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the owner of Foxwoods Resort Casino. Meanwhile, Kambi has a deal with the Mohegan.
As it stands, the two would have the market of around 3.6 million people to themselves.