Bridgeport Sportsbook Delayed Due To CT Lottery Negotiations

• The Connecticut Lottery is still working on negotiations for the location of a land-based sportsbook in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• Andrew Walter, the director of the Connecticut Lottery, has been wanting and promising this sports betting location since January of 2022.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Residents and sports betting fans in the largest city by population in Connecticut will have to keep waiting for a land-based sportsbook. Delays keep occurring during negotiations for a suitable location by the Connecticut Lottery.

The Search For The Perfect Location

There are no questions to if one of the 15 sportsbook licenses is wanted in Bridgeport, but the issues are around finding the perfect location for the retail sports betting destination. It will most likely double as a sports bar.

With the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater being a brand-new venue in the Bridgeport, the city hoped to secure a deal with the venue to become the first land-based sportsbook in Connecticut but failed. The Lottery in Connecticut has mentioned other locations –the Total Mortgage Arena – but nothing has been confirmed about who the Lottery is currently negotiating with.

The Connecticut Lottery has wanted a retail sports betting location in Bridgeport since the market was regulated in late 2021, but was never able to get one up and running. Facing a similar issue, the city has also tried to build a casino for decades, with no progress.

More Than Just A Sportsbook For Bridgeport

Wanting to create a popular sports betting bar with a consistent traffic flow, the Connecticut Lottery has made it clear that the agenda is to create something more than a simple destination for Bridgeport residents to place a legal sports bet and then leave. They’d rather a full sports betting and entertainment filled experience.

“Bridgeport is just a major city in the state, so we’re going to want to do something there to maximize sports betting retail sales”, said Andrew Walter, the director of the Connecticut Lottery… “I don’t foresee it as the ‘come and go’ type place.”

Walter expressed that the sportsbook in Bridgeport ideal opening date would in the middle of 2022. As of July 2022, a retail sportsbook in Bridgeport is not expected anytime soon, with the city failing to even secure a venue.

News tags: Andrew Walter | Bridgeport | Connecticut | Connecticut Lottery