According to the report CT Mirror, The House voted 122-21 in favor of a bill that would allow both the Connecticut lottery and two federally recognized tribes to offer sports betting. Nine Democrats and 12 Republicans voted against the bill. Overall, there was support from both sides.
Two tribes, the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and the Mohegan tribe, own and operate two casinos in the state. The bill would allow them to offer online casino games including poker as well.
The lottery will be created by 15 retail bookmakers, several of them targeting Hartford and Bridgeport, two of the state's major cities. Players will be able to bet on professional and collegiate athletics, excluding individual matches between the University of Connecticut soccer and basketball teams. These bets will be banned under this law.
The bill is now submitted to the Senate. If handed over there, he will head to Governor Ned Lamont's desk. The signing of the bill by Lamont after negotiating a new agreement with the two tribes is a key lock for Lamont, which gave rise to a proposal that is now reaching the legislature.
In March, Lamont agreed to an online gambling deal with two tribes. The deal was identical to the legislation passed by this house which allowed the division of sports betting between tribes and the lottery, but gave tribes the option to offer online gambling.
Upon signing Lamont, the law will amend the current gaming agreement between the state and the tribes. As it concerns federally recognized tribes, these amendments will have to be approved by the Department of the Interior.
If this law becomes law, Connecticut will be the seventh state to legalize online poker by joining Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Several neighboring states have already legalized sports betting, including New York and Rhode Island.
Online gambling revenue will be taxed at 18% for the first five years and 20% for subsequent years. Sports betting will have a 13. 75% income tax.
The Fiscal Analysis Authority estimates that this bill would generate a total of $ 27.9 million in new tax revenue.