The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut and DraftKings began taking sports wagers September 30 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.
DraftKings has a temporary sports betting lounge at Foxwoods as well as betting kiosks throughout the casino.
Tribal Chairman Rodney Butler said in a statement: “Today we celebrate a new era for our Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, sports fans, Foxwoods guests and Connecticut residents,” adding, “We thank Governor Lamont and his administration, regulators, and the many lawmakers who helped pave the way for legal sports betting and expanded gaming in the state.”
Sports betting was approved in the Nutmeg state with the signing of legislation that sprang from the amending of the two tribal state gaming compacts between the Pequots and the Mohegan Tribes in May 2021. The federal government gave the stamp of approval to the compacts September 9.
The tribes are allowed to offer mobile sports betting while the lottery is banned to from doing so.
Draft Kings President Matt Kalish said in a statement: “We’re thrilled to join the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in bringing a holistic and delightful sports betting experience for customers in Connecticut.” He added, “By leveraging the Tribe’s expertise in developing and operating one of the largest resort casinos in the world, we are excited to bring new offerings for consumers in The Constitution State.”
The state lottery, which has partnered with Rush Street Interactive, is also authorized to take sports betting and to authorize as many as 15 retail locations. Ten of these will be operated by Sportech, the state’s OTB operator. The first of these, in Stamford, New Haven and Windsor Locks are expected to open next week.
