Gov. Lamont Pushes For Connecticut To Legalize Sports Betting

• Connecticut is home to the largest tribal casino in the U.S.
• Gov. Ned Lamont opened up the discussion about launching sports betting in Connecticut again.
• The Governor is pushing for a mutual agreement before the meeting that begins in February.

HARTFORD, Conn. – The state of Connecticut was one of the United States’ first outspoken state when it comes to sports betting. The state also has some of the biggest Native American casinos in the country. The two big establishments are The Mohegan Sun and The Foxwoods Resort Casino which happens to be the largest casino in the U.S.

At those casinos, you can expect to see horse racing, keno, blackjack, craps, and roulette just to name a few. The current tribal impact has given the tribes the exclusive right to offer slot machines. A 25% tax is placed on slot machine revenue. That means that by the end of the year the tribe has paid $253 million.

With this, one would think sports betting was legal in the state and it is but only partially. Gov. Ned Lamont reopened the discussion on Wednesday for launching sports betting at the state’s capitol.

Sports betting was a huge topic in the state once before, but it was pushed to the side and not prioritized by the state lawmakers. Lamont brought the topic of sports betting legalization up in a meeting with representatives of the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan tribe last week.

The Governor was trying to push for a mutual understanding that could be approved by the General Assembly during the regular legislative session that will begin in February of 2020.

“I had a good meeting with the [tribal] leaders, and I think we’re moving towards places where we can reach agreement,” said Lamont to reporters at the capital according to the Hartford Courant.

 

“Look, the rest of the country and all our neighboring states are working hard on sports betting, iLottery and some of the other things that we need to do to make us competitive in this growing economy. I want to do that in association with the tribes… We’re doing that in collaboration and doing it in a way that mitigates the risk of a lawsuit.”

Lamont had talked for a long time previously about some global solutions with the tribe that could solve a lot of problems with gambling in the state.

Back in 2017, Connecticut stated that they were ahead of other states when it came to preparing for legalizing sports betting, but that has been proven to not be true seeing as though there are other states that have legalized sports betting, while they are still in talks.

The question still remains, “When will Connecticut finally legalize sports betting 100 percent and launch their first sportsbook?”

News tags: Connecticut | Native American Casinos | Ned Lamont | The Foxwood Resort Casino | The Mohegan Sun