Connecticut

Gambling has been a major factor in Connecticut for quite a while, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the state legalized retail and online sports betting, and the brand-name sports betting operators made their appearance in the Constitution State.

For the most part, Connecticut bettors have free reign on what they can bet on, but one stipulation is that they cannot wager on in-state colleges such as UConn unless they are playing in a tournament, e.g., March Madness. This restriction is relatively standard across some states that have legalized sports betting.

Outside of pro and collegiate sports (excluding local schools), bettors in the state also have the option to bet on horse racing or partake in daily fantasy sports on prominent apps like Underdog Fantasy. All DFS apps in the state must give a 30-minute pop-up for responsible gaming purposes. After this pop-up, users must log out and use two-factor authentication again.

Betting on e-sports is also allowed except when involving a Connecticut college team and if the event is not part of an intercollegiate tournament.

Online sports betting in The Constitution State

Like many other U.S. states, Connecticut needed to negotiate with the local tribes to get sports betting fully legalized. Since gambling was such a big part of the state, to begin with, the biggest issue over the years was negotiating a deal that worked for the local tribes. Under HB 6451, the tribes agreed to legalize sports betting if they partnered with two of the three online sportsbooks that would be allowed to operate in the state.

Before the deal in 2021, the state had two sports betting bills (HB 5158 and SB 21) fall apart during legislative hearings in 2020.

Once the bill was passed and agreed upon, the Mohegan Tribe partnered with FanDuel, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation partnered with DraftKings. The last online skin allowed in the state was originally SugarHouse, which partnered with the state lottery. However, they no longer operate in CT; instead, the Fanatics Sportsbook is the third and final mobile book allowed to operate.

Of course, with how big betting is in Connecticut, plenty of sportsbooks made the push to secure that final online license through a partnership with the state’s lottery, as 15 applied for that final spot. While the names of those sportsbooks were not released, one can assume the likes of BetMGM, Caesars, and Bet365 made a push.

It will be quite some time before these sportsbooks can join the CT market unless something similar to the SugarHouse situation occurs. Licenses in CT last ten years, so DK, FD, and Fanatics will provide residents with their mobile betting needs for the foreseeable future.

All legal CT sports betting apps in 2025 (from newest to oldest):

Sports betting & gambling legislation in CT

Once the state and tribes reached an agreement, sports betting was launched in retail form on September 30th, 2021, and mobile betting was fully launched on October 19th of the same year. To place a proper legal wager in person or online in CT, bettors must be at least 21. Each bettor inside the state is subject to a 6.99% tax on all winnings.

While bettors do not need to be physically present in a casino to create a mobile betting account, they must be within the state’s borders. All bets on those accounts also must be made inside CT lines. The regulating body that oversees and enforces these rules and regulations is the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection.

Aside from sports betting, there are many other gambling options in CT, including online casinos, online poker, and a state lottery system. Connecticut was the sixth state to legalize online gambling, and currently, they offer residents two interactive casino platforms, both of which offer over 100 different games.

Most recent updates from the CT sports betting scene

• January 20, 2025: Following a rare home conference loss, the UConn Huskies are (+700) to win the Big East regular season title.

• January 10, 2025: With a loss to Villanova earlier in the week, the UConn Huskies are now (+300) to win the Big East regular season title.

• December 30, 2024: By beating North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl, the UConn Huskies won their first bowl game since 2009.

• December 20, 2024: At the start of Big East conference play, the UConn Huskies currently have the second-best odds to win the regular season title at (+210).

• December 13, 2024: The UConn Huskies will play North Carolina on December 28th in the Fenway Bowl. The Huskies are (+2.5) point underdogs.

• December 4, 2024: The UConn Huskies will be without Alex Karaban when they host the Baylor Bears as (-3) point favorites.

• December 2, 2024: After going 0-3 in the Maui Invitational, the UConn Huskies are down to (+2000) to win the National Championship.

• November 25, 2024: The UConn Huskies will end their regular season on the road against UMass as (-10) point favorites.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Since gambling has been legal in CT for quite some time, many casinos were already very popular and functional by the time sports betting rolled around, so getting a retail sportsbook for them was only an added bonus.

Outside of tribal casinos that have partnered with DraftKings or FanDuel, the state’s lottery can run up to 15 retail sportsbooks, but as of right now, they only have eight in service. Under the sports betting bill, the lottery can also have Sportech run some of these retail books since they are the state’s official off-track provider.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Sports betting in the Northeast is certainly not limited to Connecticut. Bettors who travel the area will also find sports betting in New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

By clicking on the states in the box below, you can find more information on the rules and guidelines for sports betting in the surrounding states.

Sports betting revenue impact on Connecticut's economy

Connecticut's decision to legalize sports betting has been profitable. During 2024, the state averaged close to over $150 million a month in the betting handle, while tax coffers saw around $2 million in income from sports betting alone on a monthly basis. Of course, it does help that the state's gambling bill allows for an expansive market as long as operators can obtain a license.

Looking at the totals, as of January 2025, CT bettors have placed more than $5.7 billion worth of sports wagers legally in the state, and this has resulted in +$560 million of sportsbook revenue as well as over $62 million of total tax income for the state.

Regarding licenses, only three were handed out for online skins as long as they partnered with a tribe or the lottery. There are currently 12 retail betting sites in the state, with up to 15 allowed under the sports betting bill. Each license in the state is good for ten years. While tribal operators don’t have a license fee, each online operator pays a $250,000 fee to obtain their license.

Sports betting revenue these operators make is taxed at 13.75% for retail and online, which is slightly above average compared to other states with legalized sports betting.

Connecticut sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: December 2024 ($243,670,782)

• Revenue: November 2024 ($30,310,967)

• Tax income: November 2024 ($3,509,155)

Latest CT sports betting revenue report breakdown (December 2024)

Reported by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

• Total betting handle: $243,670,782 (All-time high!)

  • Mobile betting handle: $232,883,063

  • Retail betting handle: $10,787,719

• Total winnings paid to patrons: $228,897,225

  • Winnings paid in mobile betting: $218,485,181

  • Winnings paid in retail wagering: $10,412,044

• Hold: 5.90%

• Gross revenue: $14,379,586

  • Adjusted (taxable) revenue: $11,768,891

• Tax revenue for the state: $1,622,646

Top 3 sportsbook apps in the state in December 2024:

1. FanDuel (Handle: $107.8m, Revenue: $6.7m)

2. DraftKings (Handle: $90.4m, Revenue: $5.1m)

3. Fanatics Sportsbook (Handle: $34.7m, Revenue: $2.2m)

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

CT sports betting revenue in 2025

We have gathered the 2025 monthly sports betting handle, revenue, and tax income reported by the Connecticut State Department for Consumer Protection in the table below. In addition, we've calculated how handle and revenue have changed compared to the previous month (percentage in brackets).

2024 revenue data

Yearly revenue totals