Connecticut sports bettors just got one giant step closer to legal wagers—and will almost certainly get the chance to bet on Super Bowl LVI next February.
While the timeline is still up in the air, last Thursday the Connecticut Lottery Corp. announced that it has selected Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive (RSI), an online casino and sports betting company now live in 10 states, to run the online sports betting platform. The deal’s 10-year initial term is guaranteed to generate at least $170 million for the state.
Sportech, the state’s licensed off-track betting operator, will offer sports bets at 10 of 15 physical locations under a gambling expansion plan approved by Governor Ned Lamont.
At an August 12 virtual news conference, Lottery Board Chairman Rob Simmelkjaer said it’s unclear if in-person sports betting will launch before the mobile option, or if the industry will ready by NFL season. September 9 is the target date for several states preparing to launch sports betting; that’s when football season kicks off with a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In any case, “We’re confident we will be taking sports bets this NFL season, in the early part of it,” Simmelkjaer said.
The multifaceted deal also allows Connecticut’s two gaming tribes— the Mashantucket Pequots, who run Foxwoods, and the Mohegans, operators of Mohegan Sun—to offer both retail and online sports betting. The Mashantucket Pequots will partner with DraftKings, and the Mohegans with FanDuel. By law, the tribes may also offer fantasy sports and online casinos, pending approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior to proposed changes in their existing gaming compacts.
According to the Associated Press, the state’s General Assembly’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee and Department of Consumer Protection are completing the regulatory framework for the new industry.
“Our goal is to put these guardrails in place through these regulations, ensure that we have regulations that protect consumers, that encourage responsible gaming, that ensure data privacy and gaming integrity,” said Leslie O’Brien, legislative director of the Department of Consumer Protection.
RSI launched its iGaming arm in New Jersey in 2016 under the brand name PlaySugarHouse.com. Its portfolio of brands also includes BetRivers.com and RushBet.co. The company also oversees operations of the Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady retail race book in New York, the first casino in the state to have legal sports betting. On August 9, BetRivers applied for a mobile sportsbook license in New York as part of a team that also includes Caesars Sportsbook, Genting’s Resorts World Catskills, PointsBet and WynnBet.
“We will be working very closely with the lottery as well as Sportech to drive a lot of the traffic online,” said RSI President Richard Schwartz at the virtual press conference. He said the new deal is “a significant milestone” for the company, “and further validates the strength of our award-winning online gaming platform and customer service. Building on our proven track record of success in the tri-state area, where RSI was an early entrant in New Jersey and is the market leader in retail sports betting amongst New York’s commercial casinos, we are thrilled to collaborate with the CLC team to offer Connecticuters safe, convenient, and unique gaming experiences.”
Retail locations will include 10 OTB locations now run by Sportech in “all corners of the state,” said Simmelkjaer. “Their existing locations and licensed staff will allow us to get to market quickly with RSI’s retail offering, and we look forward to working with them as we ramp up retail sports betting around the state.”
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots, said the tribe “is ready to launch online gaming and sports betting as soon as we’re legally allowed to do. And if everything lines up, September 9 is achievable.”
In related news, RSI’s new minority investment in gaming developer Boom Entertainment gives it market access and the opportunity to operate online casino and sports betting in three additional states. “We are very pleased to add Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico to the growing list,” said Schwartz.
Boom has developed apps including NBC Sports and MSG Network. Per its agreement with RSI, Boom will integrate its remote gaming server and license online casino and sports betting games, which RSI to make available to its real money and social casino. Boom will also develop custom games for RSI, giving it exclusive rights on “for at least one year,” according to a new release. This will ensure RSI offers its players “unique and differentiated” gaming experiences.
“We have long discussed collaborating with RSI on innovative games and products,” said Boom co-founder and CEO Stephen A. Murphy, “and we’re excited to bring many of these opportunities to life in the coming months and years.”
