For now, it looks like sports betting won’t be legalized in Connecticut, says Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who has been trying to negotiate an agreement with the state’s gaming tribes, but without much hope for success at this point.
The existing tribal state gaming compacts, and the tribes’ insistence that they should have exclusive rights to offer sports betting, makes an agreement hard to achieve, the governor said last week.
The tribes operate Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun. Malloy has said he won’t sign any legislation that isn’t agreed to by the tribes in advance. Currently the tribes pay the state 25 percent of slots income in return for exclusivity on casino games. That was about $260 million last year.
The tribes claim sports betting is a casino game. The Attorney General, George Jepsen, and many lawmakers, disagree. However, Malloy is not willing to be confrontational.
Other points of contention include online wagering or wagering on Smartphones and other platforms.
