- Connecticut launched retail sportsbooks on Sept. 30, 2021.
- Online sportsbook launches were expected on Thursday but they will be delayed.
- This could cause CT to miss out on NFL Week 5 betting revenue.
HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut had planned on launching online sports betting on Thursday, after a successful late September launch of retail locations.
However, this planned online launch will be delayed from the Oct. 7 deadline.
As to what “a few days” means in this context, the answer is unclear. One guaranteed aspect of this situation is that bettors will miss out on online wagering on Thursday Night Football, which features the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, and will be the first TNF game of the year to be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
This is a potential loss, but if “a few days” means that online sports betting is up and running by Sunday, it might not be such a huge one.
Connecticut Sports Betting - A Tough Road
This setback is just one of the many that the bumpy ride to sports betting regulation encountered in Connecticut. As with many states, Connecticut had to amend tribal compacts in order to get sports betting regulated without cutting the Tribal Nations out of the deal.
These amended compacts had to be approved by the Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs Bureau. This process takes around 45 days, and it cut into the beginning of the NFL betting season, a peak betting period for American sportsbooks.
Retail sportsbooks in Connecticut opened on Sept. 30, with Governor Ned Lamont placing wagers at both the Mohegan Sun and the Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Even that was not without controversy, as Lamont placed a bet on the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA - who play at an arena at the Mohegan Sun. This raised questions about whether or not it was appropriate for the Mohegan Sun casino to take bets on the WNBA, and betting on WNBA games was shut down due to this.
The potential lost revenue from missing four or five weeks of the NFL season is significant. Connecticut officials want to get online sports betting up and running as soon as possible to capitalize on the online gambling frenzy that is the NFL season.