Online Gambling Starts Today
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Starting at 6 a.m. today residents across the state will have a casino in their pockets. That’s because residents will have access to three different online gambling platforms, two operated by the tribes and one by the Connecticut Lottery.
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation in partnership with Rush Street Interactive will begin taking bets via PlaySugarHouse.com, the Mohegan Tribal Nation will take bets via FanDuel and the Mashantucket Pequots will be taking bets via DraftKings.
More than 130 games have been approved by the Department of Consumer Protection for both the FanDuel and DraftKings apps.
Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull said that anyone over the age of 21 can set up an account with any or all of the three vendors and start placing their bets.
“We want to make sure that people underage are not allowed to set up accounts,” Seagull said.
Seagull said they didn’t have any problems during the seven-day soft launch of online sports betting and there have been a few people who signed up for the self-exclusion list – these are individuals who don’t want to be marketed to, most often because they know they have a gambling addiction.
Seagull said she doesn’t have an exact number of people who excluded themselves, but making sure the vendors don’t allow anyone under the age of 21 to set up an account, and that they do respect those who have excluded themselves, are some of the things her agency will be monitoring.
“Put yourself on that list if you think this may become a problem for you,” Seagull said.
She said the vendors are supposed to allow individuals to limit the amount of time or money they spend on the sites.
“I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that things should go smoothly,” Seagull said Monday, hours before the launch.
Gov. Ned Lamont said it’s an exciting moment for the state.
“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,” Lamont said. “I am very proud to say that I placed the first legal, in-person sports wager in our state’s history just two weeks ago, and I encourage those who want to participate in placing wagers to do so, responsibly. I extend my gratitude to the staff at the Department of Consumer Protection for their efforts over the last several months to make this possible, particularly since this is one of the fastest state implementations of online gaming and sports wagering of any state in the nation.”
The two tribes through their respective casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, launched in-person sports betting earlier this month.
Connecticut Lottery is also focused on retail gambling opportunities.
In addition to betting from their home computers and mobile devices, Connecticut players soon will be able to place bets in person at one of 15 accessible PlaySugarHouse retail sportsbooks across the state, including 10 Sportech Venues locations, subject to regulatory approvals: Bobby V’s locations in Stamford and Windsor Locks; Sports Haven in New Haven; and the Winners locations in Hartford, Manchester, Milford, New Britain, Norwalk, Torrington and Waterbury.
