Connecticut Online Casinos
CT residents and visitors now have two online casinos available to them. DraftKings and Mohegan Sun are permitted to offer online casino games, like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Let It Ride, and more. (Online poker is also legal, though we are still waiting for those operators to launch.)
In addition, you can expect to see welcome bonuses, which usually take the form of no deposit and deposit offers, and weekly or daily promos from CT online casinos. Welcome offers are terrific for kickstarting your play with the casino’s money, at least in part.
The bottom line is that it’s an exciting time for gamblers in the Nutmeg State. Read on for all the latest about Connecticut online casinos.
Play online slots or casino games in Connecticut
Online casinos are legal in Connecticut. However, there are only two of them. If you would like more options than that, consider some of the sweepstakes casinos and social casino sites listed below.
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Is gambling legal in Connecticut?
Yes, multiple forms of gambling are legal in Connecticut. Beginning with the legalization allowing charitable bingo in 1939, Connecticut has a storied history with gambling: The law was expanded to allow bazaars and raffles in 1955 and sealed tickets in 1987.
There are two massive casinos in the state, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Both of them are tribally owned, and both have, at one time or another, been the largest casino properties in the United States.
Despite a rather restrictive overarching law, Connecticut actually has several types of legal gambling in the state. Even without online gambling, there are still plenty of options for placing some kind of wager.
How online casino games work in Connecticut
Online casino gambling became legal in Connecticut in 2021. The legalization occurred as part of a larger gambling expansion in the state. A single bill, HB6451, made online casinos, online poker, online sports betting, retail sports betting, and daily fantasy sports legal activities in the Nutmeg State. However, the unique political situation in Connecticut meant that online casinos would not pop up in the state willy-nilly.
Instead, Gov. Ned Lamont was obliged to enter negotiations with the two casino-owning Native American tribes in the state, the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan. The two tribes exercise a duopoly over casino gambling in Connecticut. Even if state lawmakers wanted to cut them out or deny them a place at the table, the sheer amount of tax revenue that the tribes’ casinos, Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun, generate on an annual basis would render such an action impossible. So, iGaming in Connecticut was always going to involve the tribes, and as part of the agreements in March 2021, it is now the exclusive domain of the tribes (though sports betting will also be permitted through the lottery commission).
In return, the tribes are to pay 18% of their gross gaming revenue in taxes on online casino gambling for the first five years of service. After that period, the percentage will increase to 20%. Although sports betting proceeds at a lower 13.75%, the overall profit potential for casino gambling made the higher rate acceptable to all parties. The tribes reached terms with partners (DraftKings Casino and FanDuel Casino), so Connecticuters have two choices for playing online casino games.
Other forms of Connecticut online gambling
Connecticut has several types of legal gambling. Remember, Connecticut retail and online sports betting is legal – but only retail betting has officially begun in the state, and only two of the many operators with a license have begun. Here are your options for legal gambling in Connecticut:
- Online and retail sports betting
- Online casino gambling
- Casino gambling
- Pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, greyhound racing and jai alai
- Lottery
- Daily fantasy sports
- Charitable gaming, including raffles and bingo
Interestingly, the law makes a rather specific exemption for playing poker. It is legal to play poker in one’s home for cash “incidental to a bona fide social relationship.” How the state would qualify a social relationship as bona fide remains unclear, but for the most part, it means that you can play with your friends. However, if you’d prefer to play in a more professional setting, there are two massive poker rooms available at the state’s tribal casinos.
What about online poker in Connecticut?
Not yet. As mentioned with online casinos in Connecticut, the new law that passed both houses in Hartford does include the option for legal online poker sites as part of online gaming. However, online poker rooms are not available in Connecticut. Your only reasonable options in the state are online social casinos, sweepstakes casinos, or a sweepstakes poker site. Luckily, Global Poker is a pretty good one. In fact, you can play Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Crazy Pineapple for real money prizes, and you don’t have to spend a dime. So, if you’re not wanting to make the trip to Foxwoods or the Mohegan Sun, you do have an option at your fingertips right now while you wait for legal Connecticut online poker.
Gambling in the state of Connecticut
The Connecticut Gaming Division oversees all aspects of gambling online. The Gaming Division, which is part of the Department of Consumer Protection, already maintains oversight over the legal forms of gambling in the state, and most states try to stick with the most experienced agencies for oversight when they craft new legislation.
Land-based casinos in Connecticut
| Casino | Location | Type |
| Foxwoods Resort Casino | Ledyard | Tribal + Retail |
| Mohegan Sun | Uncasville | Tribal + Retail |
Lottery
The Connecticut Lottery has been running successfully since the early 1970s. It is part of the Multi-State Lottery Association and offers five in-state lottery games and three multi-state ones.
You can’t buy lottery tickets online through the official CT Lottery website. The closest thing it has done to digitize lottery purchases are the lottery ticket vending machines that you can find in dozens of retail stores across the state.
The CT Lottery also offers an app for iOS and Android. While you won’t be able to buy tickets via the Connecticut lottery app, it does provide several features.
Racing
Horse racing has a long history in Connecticut. However, there are no live horse racing tracks in operation in the state at present. Live greyhound racing began in Connecticut in 1976. The Plainfield Greyhound Park opened that year and quickly became a favorite destination for bettors. However, after the casinos opened in the 1990s its popularity declined, and it closed in 2005.
In 1995 a second dog racing track, the Shoreline Star Greyhound Park, opened in Bridgeport. It enjoyed a period of popularity as well as a place for betting on greyhound races and jai alai simulcasts. But Shoreline also closed in 2006. Thus while betting on dog racing remains legal in Connecticut, there are no live tracks in the state.
Those wishing to bet on either horse racing or greyhound racing are still able to do so in Connecticut via off-track betting (OTB). This type of pari-mutuel betting became legal in 1976. Originally, the Division of Special Revenue operated OTB in the state. Then, in 1993, the DSR sold the operations to Autotote Enterprises, which continues to run OTB in the state to this day.
There are currently 15 OTB parlors scattered throughout the state, all operated by Sportech. Bettors can visit the OTB locations or bet online via Sportech’s MyWinners.com site. The site offers legal betting on thoroughbred, harness and greyhound races as well as on jai-alai.
Charitable Gaming
Beginning with the legalization allowing charitable bingo in 1939, Connecticut has a storied history with gambling: The law was expanded to allow bazaars and raffles in 1955 and sealed tickets in 1987. Interestingly, there is no age requirement for bingo, raffles, or other charitable games.
A brief history of gambling laws in Connecticut
Connecticut has a long and varied history with gambling. Although it is similar to other states in some aspects, there are bits of flair that lend gambling in the state its own distinct twist. In other words, you are unlikely to see a history of gambling identical to Connecticut’s anytime soon.
At present, there are tribal casinos, off-track betting parlors, a state lottery, and a variety of charitable games available for play. You can also take part in daily fantasy sports, if you like. Because of Connecticut’s small land area, none of its gambling facilities are terribly far away from one another. Even players from the other sides of the state, in places like Salisbury or Stamford, are no more than a couple hours’ drive from either of the massive casinos in Connecticut. The other types of gambling are even closer by, no matter where you are, so Connecticut residents are not hurting for meaningful gaming options.
- 1939: The first bit of legal gambling comes to Connecticut in the form of bingo. As is often the case, the game’s legalization is designed to give nonprofit organizations a means of fundraising. Interestingly, Connecticut is one of only a few states not to attach a gambling age onto bingo. Other charitable gambling options follow in the ensuing decades, with raffles gaining acceptance in 1955 and pull-tabs, known as “sealed tickets,” in 1997. Nonprofits also had a period between 1972 and 2003 where they could offer casino nights, but concerns from interest groups led to the repeal of that option.
- 1972: However, one 1972 product is still alive and well. The year of Watergate also features the debut of the Connecticut Lottery, which offers $0.50 tickets for a chance at a $5,000 grand prize. Lottery tickets are only available through retail outlets and lottery ticket vending machines in the state. Players now have their choice between traditional lottery games, multistate drawings, scratch-offs, fast play games and keno with the Connecticut Lottery.
- 1976: Off-track betting begins as a legal option in Connecticut. The launch coincides with the debut of greyhound racing at Plainfield Greyhound Park and jai alai frontons in Bridgeport and Hartford. Horseracing also becomes legal, although there has never been a track in the state. The inclusion and prominence of jai alai in the betting offerings is unusual for a US state. Only Florida and Rhode Island have offered anything similar at any point in their histories. However, pari-mutuel betting in Connecticut now exists solely as an off-track betting activity. All the tracks and frontons have since closed.
- 1992: Though it first begins as a bingo parlor in 1986, Foxwoods Casino Resort opens in earnest in 1992. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation enjoys a monopoly over casino gambling for four years, and the 344,000 square feet of casino space qualifies the new facility as the world’s largest casino until 1996. The resort remains one of the biggest casinos in the world to this day and features more than 2,200 hotel rooms and 14 restaurants onsite. It is also one of the few locations in Connecticut to allow smoking in some areas indoors.
- 2017: Two major pieces of gambling legislation come to pass in 2017. The first new law received the governor’s signature in July and, incredibly, directs the state government to establish policies for sports betting. The passage of this bill is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that sports betting remained illegal at the federal level for another year beyond its enactment. However, despite the legislative foresight, sports betting has not launched in the state to this point. The second bit of legislation is the DFS bill. Far from some sort of mincing reference, the law establishes an explicit framework for fees and taxation on approved DFS companies in the state. Thus, DFS players in Connecticut can play as often as they want without any fear of legal repercussions or interference.
- 2021: HB6451 made the development of online casinos, online poker rooms, online sportsbooks, retail sportsbooks, and a daily fantasy sports free-for-all possible in the Nutmeg State.
