Legal Sports betting is finally coming to Connecticut and according to Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief of staff, Paul Mounds, the official launch date for the industry is set for October 7th.
Should the launch go ahead as planned, gamblers in Connecticut should be in a position to place bets in time for week 5 of the NFL season, a full month later than the expected launch date of September 9th.
However, reports suggest that Rob Simmelkjaer, chair of the Connecticut Lottery Board has intimated that the lottery would be prepared to do a ‘soft launch’ as early as September 30th. The lottery has confirmed that it has submitted an application to the Department of Consumer Protection that would allow them to do so. The soft launch will be too early for retail sportsbooks with sports betting services only available through mobile apps.
October 7th will see three retail location open their doors and begin to take bets. These sportsbooks will be located in Bobby V’s in Stamford and Windsor Locks, along with Sports Haven in New Haven. By late October, there will be another seven locations open. All locations are owned and operated by Sportech Venues. The Connecticut Lottery Corp. is also permitted to open a further 5 retail locations.
In the online market, The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has partnered with DraftKings to launch in the state while the Mohegan Tribe has a similar agreement with FanDuel. Both operators are primed and ready for launch if the September 30th soft launch date is approved.
Connecticut’s sports betting legislation imposes an 18% tax on online gambling operations 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 all sports wagering activity.
Connecticut joins four other states in launching their sports betting industries this Fall. Arizona, South Dakota, Wyoming and Washington all launched earlier in September.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.