Connecticut Online Sports Betting Launches Statewide

Connecticut online sports betting is now live.

The state’s first legal statewide mobile sportsbooks launched for all eligible bettors beginning 6 a.m. ET Tuesday. The three sportsbooks had offered a limited “soft” launch last week.

DraftKings, FanDuel and Rush Street Interactive’s PlaySugarHouse will be the only three digital sportsbooks permitted under Connecticut law. DraftKings and FanDuel, which are partnered with the state’s two gaming tribes, can also offer more than 130 online casino offerings including slots and table games.

“This is an exciting moment for our state and our tribal partners,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement Monday before the launch. “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.”

Connecticut Gaming Details

Connecticut becomes the third New England state to open online sportsbooks, after Rhode Island and New Hampshire. It is the first state in the region with online casino gaming.

Eligible Connecticut sports bettors age 21 and up can wager from virtually anywhere within state lines. They can register, deposit and begin wagering without having to go to a brick-and-mortar sportsbook beforehand.

Each online sportsbook is expected to accept wagers on thousands of sporting events across hundreds of domestic and foreign leagues. Bettors can wager on totals, moneylines, point spreads, parlays, props, in-play betting and a host of other options.

Connecticut law prohibits bets on in-state programs, including UConn and Yale. Bettors can still wager on overall competitions these programs compete in such as the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, but not on individual games featuring a Connecticut-based program.

Legal retail betting began last month with brick-and-mortar sportsbook openings at the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort casinos. The Connecticut Lottery, which is operating sports betting in conjunction with Rush Street Interactive, can also open up to 15 retail sportsbooks.

The lottery has announced sportsbooks at Bobby V’s locations in Stamford and Windsor Locks; Sports Haven in New Haven: and Winners locations in Hartford, Manchester, Waterbury, Torrington, New Britain, Milford, and Norwalk. Officials have not publicly announced the opening for any of the retail sportsbooks.

Connecticut Gaming Background

Lamont as well as the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes announced a new deal earlier this year that opened the door for statewide mobile sports betting and iCasino gaming. The agreement, along with ensuing legislation, created the nation’s first online sports betting market that permitted licenses for both tribal gaming stakeholders and a state-sanctioned lottery.

After initially targeting a launch before the 2021 football season, Connecticut regulators announced an early October launch only to see that pushed further back until Oct. 19. Connecticut lawmakers, state regulators and federal officials then had to go through months of regulatory reviews and approvals, a process that concluded earlier this month.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in this process to ensure an effective soft launch for online gaming platforms,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, whose department oversees online gaming, in a statement Monday. “This is an exciting time in our state, and we are proud of the work we have done to ensure a safe and successful gaming landscape in Connecticut. We encourage everyone to enjoy these new forms of entertainment responsibly.”