By September, bettors in Connecticut can go online to gamble on sports teams at the state’s two casinos or through the state lottery.
Each Connecticut casino will also operate a sportsbook, where gamblers can go to play and enjoy other entertainment.
Expanded gambling was authorized by legislation enacted this spring after years of unsuccessful negotiations between the state and owners of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. “This is 10 years in the making,” said Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Tribal Nation, which owns and operates Foxwoods.
Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, the parent company of the Mohegan Sun, recently established a business unit, Mohegan Digital, to oversee the expanded gambling business.
“Getting this launched is an important piece, not just for Mohegan Sun, but for the state,” said Rich Roberts, president of Mohegan Digital.
FanDuel Group will partner with Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment to bring retail and online sports betting, gambling and daily fantasy sports to the Uncasville casino. Foxwoods Resort Casino will partner with sports betting company DraftKings.
The Department of the Interior must approve changes in Connecticut’s compact with the tribes that expand gambling, and the state Department of Consumer Protection will have to draft regulations.
How will someone place a bet on a game?
A sportsbook, or physical presence where people can go to place bets, will be available in the casinos. For online gambling, the casinos and the Connecticut Lottery will have apps for gamblers to download and place bets.
The apps also will make available casino and table games for gambling.
Will there be a different app than the existing FanDuel and DraftKings apps?
Yes. The online digital casinos will be in a partnership with FanDuel and DraftKings. Roberts said bettors will be redirected from the Mohegan Sun app if they want to download the digital gaming app.
He described two different and distinct areas: what he called a “real gambling app” with FanDuel and the existing Mohegan marketing app that’s free now to play casino games.
How will this compare to what the Lottery is doing?
Assuming it wins federal approval, the Connecticut Lottery Corp. will have an app that will allow users to place sports bets online from anywhere in the state, outside of tribal land, as detailed in the legislation and Department of Consumer regulations, said Lottery spokeswoman Tara Chozet.
The Lottery is negotiating terms with a potential sports betting vendor, she said. More information will be available when an agreement is completed.
Will there be gambling in Hartford?
Yes. The Connecticut Lottery Corp. is zeroing in on downtown Hartford’s XL Center as the spot for a major sports betting venue. But the lottery, which will control the location of 15 sports betting venues in Connecticut under the new sports and online gambling law, said it expects to first look to smaller locations in the Hartford area to offer sports gambling sooner to the betting public. The first betting could begin as early as the start of the NFL season on Sept. 9.
How does all of this affect fantasy sports betting? Will that be a part of this new setup?
FanDuel and DraftKings can now legally operate their fantasy games in Connecticut.
The state has made fantasy sports, which is a game requiring skill, a licensed category separate from casino games and sports betting, Roberts said. Mohegan Sun partners with FanDuel for fantasy sports. “It was kind of a gray area. Now it’s legal,” he said.
FanDuel and DraftKings offer various types of fantasy games, allowing fans to select a slate of players and win prizes if those players perform well.
Will apps take customers away from the casinos?
Roberts said research on bettor behavior in other states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania shows the market will grow with the addition of digital and sports betting.
Butler said gambling that uses apps “falls in the same ecosystem.” Visitors to casinos will still come once a week or twice a month, he said.
“You can fill the gaps by playing online. You can still earn points, still be connected,” Butler said.
Are gamblers who use apps different from those who visit the casinos?
Generally, digital gambling will attract younger players than will the casinos, which are known for emptying senior citizen centers of residents looking for a few hours’ entertainment.
“The digital casinos and sportsbooks have initially been consumed by younger casino goers,” Roberts said.
Though digital gambling has grown significantly over the past decade or so, “people will always go to the casino,” he said. “That’s an experience that can’t be replicated in the digital experience.”
Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
