Illegal online gambling in Connecticut: Online Casinos, Sports betting, Offline Sportsbooks, Poker Sites. Legal: Lotteries, Land-based Casinos, Horse Racing apps
Connecticut has a long history with horse and dog racing. Since the early 1990s, though, the opening of the state’s two tribal casinos has seen their success overtake racing popularity and become the #1 gambling pastime.
Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are currently still the state’s only casinos. They enjoy a regulated compact with Conneticut’s Gaming Commission to operate legal casinos with all the standard gambling activities.
However, Connecticut is a state to watch as potential constitutional amendments to local gambling laws could see seismic shifts in the Nutmeg state. At the time of writing, there are grand scale casino proposals being considered as new ventures. Maybe online gambling situation in Connecticut will change in 2020, also for the state’s cities Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Hartford, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, West Hartford, Bristol.
Minimum legal gambling age in Connecticut: 21+ (horse racing, casino, poker), 18+ (DFS), 21+ (sports betting – expected)
While sports betting is not currently legal in the state of Connecticut, this may not be the case for very long. There is a strong effort to legalize online sports betting and many expect it to happen soon enough. The only major roadblock seems to be coming from the Tribal Casinos demanding the exclusive rights to host the state’s sportsbooks. While this is a serious concern, many observers believe a compromise will be reached.
While there are only two casinos located in the state of Connecticut, they are two of the best in the country. The Mashantucket Foxwoods Resort and Casino and the Uncasville Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel are both are owned and operated by Native American Tribes and have been strategically placed along the stateline in order to attract as many people from New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. There are no limits on casinos in Connecticut so table games, slots, and poker rooms are all available.
Online poker is not yet legal in Connecticut but many see this changing in the future. While there is no legislation in pending, the state has legal live poker rooms available in their two casinos. Until then, online poker players are forced to use the off-shore online poker-rooms.
The Connecticut lottery or CT Lottery has been up and running since the early seventies. Their lottery is very successful and offers all the major games such as Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, and Powerball. Everyone over the age of 18 is eligible to play and you must purchase tickets from a licensed retailer or via the website.
Wagering on fantasy sports in Connecticut was made legal in 2017. DFS sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel are legally allowed to accept money for their services in the state. Connecticut charges these sites a $15,000 registration fee as well as a $15,000 annual fee for them to operate.
Unfortunately, there are no more horse race tracks operating in the state of Connecticut. However, the state has a rich history with the sport and it remains legal to play the ponies. Wagering is simply limited to online sites such as TVG and TwinSpires.
Want to know more about Connecticut online gambling laws, taxes and development? Follow updates at statelaws.findlaw.com/connecticut-law
American Gambler
Fairway Jay
Mike Brunker
