Connecticut Sports Betting Bill on the Table Again

The state of Connecticut is back on track towards legalizing sports betting within its borders, as eight of its senators filed in a brand-new bill in a t effort.

After the previous announcement that only land-based casinos in this state will have the exclusive rights to operating sportsbooks, comes the logical next step toward green-lighting this particular segment of gaming which is long overdue in Connecticut.

The state official stated that launched their own sportsbooks and are enjoying the financial intake from betting enthusiasts everywhere…

…and some of it coming from the very state that is now trying to do something about it.

Establishing Competitive Betting

State senators who have referred SB 665 to the t Committee on Public Safety and Security for debate and consideration are: Mary Daugherty Abrams, Dennis Bradley, Steve Cassano, Christine Cohen, Bob Duff, Julie Kushner, Martin Looney and Norman Needleman.

The bill’s primary aim is to “establish competitive wagering on the results of certain sports events,” but the real duty now belongs to state legislature, which needs to come up with a complete regulatory scheme for sports the betting vertical.

On and Off and On Again

Ever since PASPA was ruled out by the Supreme Court in May last year, Connecticut was eager to get the ball rolling on sports betting. This vertical’s liberalization debate has been ongoing since the summer, when former Governor, Dannel Mallot, called on lawmakers to try and devise sport betting legalization before 2018 came to an end.

However…

…the talks came to an obtrusion when discussions with Native American tribes over regulations stalled. This major obstacle set aside sports wagering talks until January 9th, when this year’s legislative session took off with the change of Governors, as Mallot was replaced by Ned Lamont.

Moreover, there was an original bill, ed in the summer of 2017, that was to immediately legalize sports betting in Connecticut if there was to be a federal lift on its ban (it turned out, there was)…

…The state, however, decided against proceeding with this law as the officials feared it may collide with rights of Indian tribal operators. Two tribes that were at cross purposes with state lawmakers about the regulatory framework were Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan – they have the exclusive rights for casino gambling in Connecticut.

Japan via Connecticut

The Mashantucket Pequot tribe made headlines in October last year when they rolled out plans for an ambitious project that would see them open a casino resort in Japan’s island of Hokkaido.

The said project is regarding the Las Vegas-style casino that would be built in the port city of Tomakomai – the same place a much bigger competitor, Hard Rock International, also set sights on.

Source:

“Connecticut senators file new sports betting bill”, igamingbusiness.com, January 25, 2019.