Feds Approve Sports Betting and Online Gaming in Connecticut

The Federal Government has signed off on the plans for the legalization of sports betting and online gaming in the state of Connecticut.

According to Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of Interior informed him that the gaming compacts between the state and the Mohegan Tribe and Mashantucket Peqout Tribe have been approved.

Said Lamont via Twitter:

“I just received a call from @USIndianAffairs informing me that they have given final approval to the revised gaming compacts between the State of Connecticut and the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes, allowing for sports wagering and online gaming. This critical step in the process of modernizing our gaming landscape here in Connecticut ensures that our state will have a competitive, nation-leading marketplace for wagering both in-person and online.”

“I thank @USIndianAffairs for approving these revisions, as well as the efforts of the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes. Today’s announcement puts CT on the cusp of providing a modern, technologically advanced gaming experience competitive with our neighboring states.”

Waiting to Be Published in the Federal Register

Earlier this year, the Connecticut General Assembly passed the legislation to legalize sports betting and online gambling in the state, which Lamont signed into a law. The law allows only the Connecticut Lottery Corporation and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes to conduct online and in-person sports wagering.

Thursday was the deadline for the Department of Interior to approve the compacts. While they are approved, they were not yet published in the Federal Register on Thursday and will only take effect once they are. Aside from that, the state’s Department of Consumer Protection still has to approve the vendors and suppliers that will be used by the operators.

Targeting October Launch

Once approval is secured, the operators will give the Department of Consumer Protection a 10-day notice of when they intend to go live. After that, there will be a seven-day soft launch where operations are monitored to iron out possible kinks. Once those tasks are complete, BetRivers ( Connecticut Lottery ), DraftKings( Mohegan Sun ), and FanDuel
( Foxwoods ) will be ready to launch, and according to sources, they will go live at the same time.

Back when the law was passed, supporters were hoping to launch on September 9th when the NFL’ opened its 2021 season. But since that has already passed and given the activities that still need to happen, the operators are looking to go live next month. The retail DraftKings sportsbooks at Foxwoods is also expected to open simultaneously with the launch of online sports betting while the Mohegan FanDuel brick and mortar sportsbook won’t be ready until winter.