Connecticut Governor In Favor Of Legal Sports Betting

• The Governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont would like to see a bill for the legalization of sports betting.
• Previous bills that were tossed by Lamont were those exclusive to the Tribes.
• The sports betting market, if made legal, could bring in as much as $20 million in revenue for the state.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Sports betting legislation has been a discussion this week among the House and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. The House believes that the best bet to see legalized sportsbooks in the state of Connecticut would be to have an all-encompassing bill where no casino business is excluded.

An Example Of One Such Bill

Currently, Representative Joe Verrengia (D-West Hartford) is working on a proposal with the Public Safety and Security Committee. This bill would allow Tribal businesses, off-track wagering venues, and the lottery to apply for sportsbook licenses in Connecticut. They would all have the opportunity to run both sports betting lounges and mobile sports betting applications.

“This takes away the open competition piece and keeps the competition among in-state stakeholders,” said Verrengia. “When it comes to sports betting, it’s important that there’s competition. For the consumer to have better odds, there has to be competition.”

This means that Tribal casinos would not maintain the monopoly on sports betting, as it would be open to all gambling businesses.

Other bills on the table all get tricky as they will allow only Tribal casinos to open sportsbooks but also have these same casinos invest in commercial casinos. Instead of making it more difficult, the all-inclusive bill just makes more sense as it’s open to everyone as the Governor wants.

“In the past, we’ve approached this in a holistic way through comprehensive gaming policy, but given the number of hurdles and how problematic it is to get anything passed beyond sports betting, I think we should stick to sports betting,” said Verrengia.

The Governor Is In Favor Of It

On February 5, the Governor held a State of the State Address. He touched on a number of subjects, one of which was sports betting.

“I want to work with you to ensure we stand up a responsible sports betting platform that promotes economic growth for our state and is fair to our tribal partners. Together, let’s work to ensure Connecticut isn’t left behind as our neighboring states continue to move forward on gaming while also avoiding endless litigation,” said Lamont.

A legal sports betting market is expected to see an annual $20 million in revenue for the state. Legislatures are in session from January 9 through June 5.

If a proposal can be inked out by then and receive attention from the House, Connecticut could have legal sports betting in 2020. After all, the Governor wants to see it happen and his signature is the one the Nutmeg State needs to make it happen.

News tags: Connecticut | Connecticut 2020 State of the State Address | Joe Verrengia | Ned Lamont | Public Safety and Security Committee