Cathy Osten

Sen. Osten Votes for, Applauds Passage of Online Gaming and Sports Betting Regulations: “It’s the Culmination of Years of Hard Work.”

HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague), who for years led the effort to amend Connecticut’s existing gaming compact with the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribal nations to include online gaming and sports betting, today applauded the passage in the Regulation Review Committee of new state rules governing the operation of online casino gaming, sports betting, fantasy contests, Keno and the online sale of lottery tickets.

Today’s 9-4 vote came three months after the General Assembly gave bipartisan and overwhelming approval to a bill legalizing online gaming and sports betting in Connecticut. That bill, House Bill 6451, included a provision that the state Department of Consumer Protection create specific regulations related to gaming licenses and other gaming-related issues. Those provisions were approved by the Regulation Review Committee today on a bipartisan basis.

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs must still approve Connecticut’s amended compact with the two tribal nations; it has been reviewing the new compact for the past month and is expected to issue its final decision by Thursday, September 9.

“Today is the culmination of years of hard work to bring Connecticut up to speed with modern betting practices and to give our tribal partners, who are some of the largest employers in the state and who have contributed billions of dollars to our economy, a more modern and expanded approach to the gaming portion of their entertainment, retail and restaurant business here in Connecticut,” Sen. Osten said. “Hopefully the BIA will issue its final decision approving Connecticut’s amended compact before September 9, which would theoretically allow for sports betting on fall football games for those who are so inclined. I’m just excited and happy that the committee approved these regulations today on a bipartisan basis and that we are on probably within a week of finally moving forward with the first real expansion of gaming in Connecticut in several decades.”

A copy of the new, 82-page regulation can be found at: https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Search/RMRView/ER2021-031