Gambling in Connecticut

Gambling in Connecticut (CT) is famous for its super casinos. These mega-casinos in Connecticut are among some of the largest in the world, attracting many national and international visitors. Other than the super casinos, the state is relatively conservative in adopting new forms of gambling. While the adoption process is usually slow and deliberate for the different types of gambling, the state eventually gets around to legalizing a varied range of progressive gambling types, and the state even has some limited online poker options (in casino grounds only) and an online state lottery.

It appears that 2021 looks may potentially be a landmark year in Connecticut’s long gaming history. State lawmakers in Connecticut will undoubtedly look to keep pace with other states in the area such as Rhode Island and Pennsylvania that have already successfully adopted legal sports betting and NJ’s Online Casinos.

Connecticut’s land-based casino business has gone from virtually nothing in the mid-1980’s to operating two of the largest super-casinos in the world outside of Las Vegas or Macau.

Connecticut has an interesting business model for its gaming with Tribal Casinos paying revenue back to the state. In that way, the Connecticut casino business model can be seen to be a hybrid mix of Tribal & Commercial Casinos. At Connecticut’s Casinos, you’ll find more than 12,300 slots and gaming machines and more than 900 table games.

From 1986, and the introduction of bingo halls on self-regulating Indian Reservation land (exempt from the wider state laws of Connecticut), the mega Casino resorts carry huge poker rooms that attract the best players of the professional Poker Tour and regular tournaments are held.

Of course, with that level of gambling services, support services at Connecticut’s Casinos such as international shows, restaurants, shopping and adjoining hotels are all of world-class standard.

As you have probably already established, residents and visitors to Connecticut don’t yet have access to play at fully legal online casinos in the same way that online players in Nevada and New Jersey do.

Connecticut is one of the states that are anticipated to start working towards an online gambling bill early in 2019, due to the fact Connecticut’s state casinos are looking to offer (the already developed) online versions of their products. Online poker is available only on casino grounds at this stage. Connecticut legislators haven’t proposed such an online gaming bill just yet. Look for that to occur during the 2019 legislative season.

Until Connecticut’s lawmakers agree on the model that the state’s online gambling sites will take, our advice to Connecticut residents or visitors is simple: Obey all online gambling laws.

Until online gambling legalization is finalized, steer clear of using online casinos (US-based or Offshore) within Connecticut state limits.

On the other hand, for players looking to take advantage of online betting options, Daily Fantasy Sports and online Horse Racing Betting sites are all open to accept online players from within the state. (Please note, player beware. Geolocators will be used to determine if you and your mobile device or PC are physically located within the state limits of Connecticut).

Connecticut is an influential state in the American poker scene, with huge mega casino resorts offering poker (see description below) and even legal social games in the state.

Interestingly, Connecticut Laws provide for social poker games to be legal for gambling that is “incidental to a bona fide social relationship”. Despite the vagueness of the wording of the social gambling provision in CT State law, this interpretation that social gaming is legal is reinforced by Connecticut state officials.

‘Bona fide social relationships’ when it comes to gambling in Connecticut is generally understood to be relationships which exist apart from the actual gambling, which would generally be the case with most social ‘home poker’ games.

Poker Rooms

Connecticut’s two huge Native American Indian reservation Super Casinos offer more than 200 poker tables (rather than Poker Rooms). World Series of Poker tournament series are regularly held in the two Mega Casinos with multi-million-dollar prize pools up for grabs.

Famous faces are regularly spotted at the Poker Tables in Connecticut’s casinos and it’s interesting to note that recently retired female all-time Poker tournament money winning leader, Vanessa Selbst, amassed more than $1 million of her career earnings in the state of Connecticut.

Online Poker Laws

No online poker is available in Connecticut (other than in the grounds of a land-based casino). See above regarding the future implementation of online casinos in Connecticut.

1931 – Horse Racing becomes legal in Connecticut.

1976 – Off-Track Horse Racing Betting introduced.

1983 – Connecticut State Lottery begins.

1986 – Tribal/Commercial Casinos open for the first time in Connecticut as a Bingo Room and add casino table games (1992), and slots (1993).

2012 – Connecticut Governor Dan Molloy suggests that regulation of ‘online-poker is inevitable’.

2017 – Governor Dan Molloy signed-off on the legalization of DFS in the state. The bill to be passed into law in Connecticut sometime after July 1 2019.

2021/22? – Sports Betting Legalized at Connecticut Casinos?

2021/22? – Online Casinos in Connecticut to be legalized on the back of a successful implementation of Rhode Island Sports Betting?

Visit our Connecticut Sports Betting page for More information on the states online sports betting and Laws