On October 4, after criticism for taking sports wagers on a team it owns, the newly opened Mohegan Sun sportsbook suspended wagers on all teams in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The tribe owns the Connecticut Suns.
This potential conflict was unwittingly spotlighted by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who, when placing the ceremonial first legal wager at the sportsbook’s opening September 30, bet $50 on the Suns against the Chicago Sky in the playoffs. Lamont won the bet. He later demonstrated his evenhandedness by placing two $20 bets at Foxwoods.
The casino announced that it decided over the weekend to suspend playoff betting on the WNBA.
Casino President and General Manager Jeff Hamilton said in a statement: “We are in the process of working with the WNBA to update our SOPs (standard operating procedures) and have decided to take WNBA wagering off until this is finalized.”
This brings the casino in line with state law, which prevents Mohegan Sun employees from betting at the sportsbook. It also bars wagering on collegiate sports teams in the state.
Rep. Maria Horn, co-chair of the legislative committee charged with overseeing gaming, said this possible loophole could be addressed next year when permanent regulations will be adopted for all sportsbooks in the state.
Horn told 7News Boston: “We had been more concerned that nobody with a substantial interest in that team could bet on the team.” Horn added, “This is a major expansion of gambling and I would be very surprised if we got everything right in the first bite. I expect that we will go back and take a look at whether a tweak needs to be made.”
This type of potential conflict has come up before. MGM Resorts, which once owned the WNBA Las Vegas Aces, banned wagers on games involving that team at any of its sportsbooks.
The sports betting regulations in force now are “emergency” regulations adopted after Lamont and the tribes reached an accord in May to amend the 30-year-old state tribal gaming compacts. It also authorizes the Connecticut Lottery to operate as many as 15 retail sports betting venues. Ten will be operated by Sportech in Hartford, Manchester, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury and Windsor Locks. Five more sites will be announced later.
The September 30 launch of the Mohegan Sun’s sportsbook was a week earlier than was announced, indicating the competitive nature of sports betting in the state and the race for millions of dollars in previously untapped revenue.
Also launching was Foxwoods, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Its sports betting partner is DraftKings, whose president, Matt Kalish, touted Foxwoods’s “expertise in developing and operating one of the largest resort casinos in the world.” DraftKings’ temporary sportsbook is at the Ultimate Race Book in Foxwood‘s Rainmaker Casino. Additional kiosks are throughout the resort.
Online sports betting won’t begin until later in October, pending approvals by the Department of Consumer Protection. The department has granted Reno-based Spin Games LLC a license to deploy its ROC Remote Gaming Server platform and online content when online betting goes live. Spin Games provides similar services in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and British Columbia.
DCP spokeswoman Kaitlyn Krasselt said, “We’re still working really hard to get things up and running statewide and online as quick as possible.” Krasselt added, “We want to get it right.” Providing online betting will be DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and PlaySugarHouse.
Once it does go live, online sports betting is expected to account for as much as 80 percent of the total, according to Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. He told CT Insider, “This is what makes sense, not only for the Pequot, but for the state of Connecticut, and really for the gaming industry at large. We have to migrate to sports betting, and we have to get online, every other industry is going there.”
Mohegan Sun president Hamilton doesn’t think sports betting revenue will ever approach that generated by slots or tables, but it will enhance the overall casino experience. He told the Blount County Daily Times, “There’s a lot of table players that also like to bet on sports. So it gives them a reason to come and maybe they make a wager on sports, but they also will play a table game, they’ll play slots or they’ll go to our restaurants.” Hamilton added, “What we see in other jurisdictions, is that when you have sports betting, it also increases the revenue for your other revenue sources as well.”
On the other hand, Foxwoods Resort Casino CEO Jason Guyotte calls sports betting, “a big deal,” adding, “Brick-and-mortar retail sports book actually does drive incremental gaming revenue. So we hope it does play a part in increasing the amenities we have here at the resort and opportunities for employment here.”
The state expects to realize $28 million in tax revenues the first year of operation, and Lamont anticipates that number will grow to $100 million as the market matures.
