- Connecticut’s State House approved online gambling in the state.
- The bill passed 122-21, an overwhelming victory for gambling advocates.
- Online sports betting, online casinos, and online lottery sales are all included in the bill.
LAS VEGAS - The Connecticut House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve online gambling in the state.
The bill passed 122-21, and is set to legalize online sports betting, online casino gameplay and online lottery sales in Connecticut.
There are two more steps in the legal process before it becomes the law of the land - passing the Senate, and being signed by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Both of those are expected to occur, meaning Connecticut could be a state with fully legal online gambling sooner rather than later.
Once that happens, the bills will have to be reviewed at the Federal level, as this is a modification to the tribal compacts that Connecticut has with the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans.
Governor Ned Lamont signalled his belief that the bill would get through the Senate easily, and his own support for the bill, which he helped to negotiate with the tribes.
“I look forward to this measure’s swift passage in the Senate, so we can start the federal process of ensuring this legislation and agreement is authorized,” said Lamont.
The Timeline For Connecticut Online Gambling
The goal right now for CT lawmakers is to have online sports betting and other online gambling options up and running by the start of the NFL season.
This is an obvious target to have - the NFL is one of the biggest revenue generators for sportsbooks across the country.
The process of passing the bills has taken until now, and even if the Senate moves quickly, there could still be a few days between this article and the approval of sports betting at the state level.
After that, the questions are all federal, although the state does expect federal approval on the renegotiated compacts. Setting up the infrastructure for online sports betting and online gambling within a few months could be a serious challenge. The NFL season is set to start on Thursday, September 9th, giving Connecticut a bit over three months to complete the process.
Hopefully, their ambitious launch date pays off for CT sports bettors and gamblers.