- An informational hearing held by Connecticut Public Safety and Security Committee Tuesday showed promise for the future of legal sports betting in the state.
- CT officials met with members of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Native American groups and discussed a potential compromise to bring legal betting to the state.
HARTFORD, Conn. – The ongoing battle for legal sports betting and online gambling in Connecticut has taken a step forward.
Officials of the state met this week to discuss a potential plan to bring the state into the forefront of sports betting and iGaming legality in the near future.
The success of legal sports betting laws in states like New Jersey has promoted the discussion in other states looking to take part in the storied pastime.
For Connecticut, the potential for legal USA sports betting platforms coming to the state relies on cooperation with the state’s Native American tribes, notably the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan groups.
Just recently, a new bill known as SB 146 was introduced in CT that would bring online casino games in the legal realm of allowed gaming in the state.
Now, officials from the Connecticut Public Safety and Security Committee met with the Native American Groups in an attempt to discuss the future of sports betting in the state.
During the meeting, both groups agreed that compromise would be the best way to go forward with the situation in the interest of both parties.
The Native Americans want to hold on to their stake of sports betting at their locations, but do not want to hinder the state in terms of potential tax gain from opening larger sports betting platforms.
Naturally, neither side wants to be the one to give way fully to the other, creating a natural stalemate in the discussion.
Bringing in a sports betting operator without the tribes’ permission would be a huge breach of trust, but attitudes are high there can be a compromise reached sooner rather than later.
The SB 146 bill is a strong start, which if passed would allow the tribes to operate sports betting at their casino locations as well as online. If passed, the move could bring up to $690 million in tax revenue from sports betting in the first year.
Either way, the clock is ticking for CT bettors who are looking for a way to get in on the action. Currently, residents can travel to Rhode Island, New Jersey, and possibly soon to New York and Massachusetts, which are way ahead of the game in terms of USA online gambling legislation.
Without a proper way to bet in Connecticut, the state is losing out on tons of potential money.