| Sports (online) | Live | Oct 12, 2021 | Hybrid | Exactly three licensed online platforms ("skins"), each tethered to a Master Wagering Licensee: DraftKings (Mashantucket Pequot/Foxwoods), FanDuel (Mohegan Tribe/Mohegan Sun), and PlaySugarHouse/Rush Street Interactive (Connecticut Lottery). Betting on Connecticut college teams is barred except when that team plays in an intercollegiate tournament, and single-game wagers on CT college teams are prohibited even then. Public Act 21-23 (2021) [1],[2],[3],[4] |
| Sports (retail) | Live | Oct 25, 2021 | Hybrid | Retail sports wagering offered at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos and at Connecticut Lottery-operated sportsbook windows within Sportech-run OTB venues; Lottery retail wagering launched Oct. 25, 2021, after the Oct. 12 online soft launch. Public Act 21-23 (2021) [2],[5] |
| Online casino | Live | Oct 12, 2021 | Monopoly Tribal | Online casino gaming (slots, table games, live dealer) offered only through the two tribal-affiliated skins (DraftKings/Foxwoods, FanDuel/Mohegan Sun); taxed at 18% of GGR, rising to 20% in 2026. Public Act 21-23 (2021) [2],[6] |
| Online poker | Not authorized | | | Per the Gaming Division's own FAQ: poker for money (or anything else of value) is currently illegal in Connecticut unless played purely socially, with nothing of value going to anyone but the participants.[6] |
| Commercial casinos | Not authorized | | | Connecticut has no commercial (non-tribal) casino license category; all casino gaming is confined to the two tribal facilities under their compacts, and a planned third tribal casino (Tribal Winds, East Windsor) was scrapped in 2022.[5] |
| Tribal casinos | Live | 1992 | Monopoly Tribal | Two tribal casinos: Foxwoods Resort Casino (Ledyard), operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, added table games in 1992 and slot machines in 1993; Mohegan Sun (Uncasville), operated by the Mohegan Tribe (federally recognized 1992), opened in 1996. In exchange for a state slot-machine monopoly (no slots permitted elsewhere in CT), the tribes pay 25% of slot revenue to the state. Combined slot handle was $13.2B with winnings of $1.1B in FY2016-17. A planned third casino (Tribal Winds, East Windsor) was scrapped in 2022 when the 2021 sports wagering compact amendment was finalized; new tribal casino development is on hold until 2032. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (federal); Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal-state compacts [5] |
| Lottery | Live | 1972 | Monopoly State | Connecticut Lottery Corporation runs scratch and draw games including multistate Powerball and Mega Millions; legislature authorized the lottery in 1971 and sales began in 1972. FY2015 gross sales were $1.1B with $707M paid in prizes.[5] |
| iLottery | Live | Oct 12, 2021 | Monopoly State | Online lottery ticket sales/keno are listed by the Gaming Division as one of the forms of "online gaming" authorized alongside sports wagering, fantasy contests, and online casino gaming. Public Act 21-23 (2021) [6] |
| Daily fantasy | Live | Legalized May 27, 2021 | Hybrid | Fantasy contest operators that charge entry fees must establish a relationship with one of the three Master Wagering Licensees (Mohegan Tribe, Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, or CT Lottery Corporation) and hold an online gaming operator license; informal no-entry-fee leagues among friends are exempt regardless of player location. Public Act 21-23 (2021) [7] |
| VGTs / VLTs | Not authorized | | | As part of the tribal compact structure, the state prohibits slot machines everywhere except the two tribal casinos, in exchange for the tribes' 25%-of-slot-revenue payments; no video gaming terminals are authorized in bars, truck stops, or other non-casino locations.[5] |
| Historical horse racing | Not authorized | | | A secondary regulatory tracker (Vixio) identifies only eight states as having authorized historical horse racing as pari-mutuel wagering since 1999 (most recently Kansas, 2022); Connecticut is not among them, and no CT-specific HHR statute, bill, or terminal was found. CT's tribal-compact structure (see vgt) also bars slot-like devices outside the two tribal casinos.[8] |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Prohibited | Legalized Oct 1, 2025 | | SB 1235 bans sweepstakes/promotional games that use simulated gambling devices or let players participate in real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering, unless the operator holds the relevant state gaming license; passed the Senate 36-0 and the House 146-0, signed by Gov. Lamont, and took effect October 1, 2025, making Connecticut the second state (after Montana, per secondary reporting) to explicitly ban sweepstakes casinos. Operating an illegal gambling business is a Class D felony (up to 5 years, $5,000 fine). A narrow carve-out permits non-cash grocery-discount promotions at retailers with 5+ locations. Several sweepstakes operators (VGW, Stake) reportedly withdrew from Connecticut ahead of the ban. Senate Bill 1235 (2025) [9] |
| Prediction markets | Contested | | | The DCP Gaming Division issued cease-and-desist letters dated Dec. 2, 2025 to Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com, ordering them to stop offering sports event contracts to CT residents and to let residents withdraw held funds, citing the lack of a state wagering license, no minimum-age (21) protections, and no consumer-dispute recourse. Kalshi sued in the U.S. District Court for Connecticut on CFTC-preemption grounds; Judge Vernon Oliver denied Kalshi's preliminary-injunction motion, and Kalshi appealed to the Second Circuit. Connecticut (AG William Tong, Gov. Lamont, and DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli) separately sued Kalshi seeking an injunction against continued unlicensed sports-event-contract offers in the state. Connecticut was reported as the ninth state to issue Kalshi a cease-and-desist order. Connecticut sits in the 2nd Circuit (with NY and VT); Kalshi's appeal of the CT district court loss is pending there, so no 2nd Circuit ruling controls yet. The 3rd Cir. ruling for Kalshi (NJ, 2026-04-06) and the 6th Cir./9th Cir. rulings do not bind Connecticut.[10],[11] |
| Skill games | Prohibited | | | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-278a(4) defines "gambling device" broadly as any device "by the operation of which a right to money, credits, deposits or other things of value may be created, as a result of the operation of an element of chance," or one that "does not return the same value of thing of value for the same consideration upon each operation." A 2005 Attorney General formal opinion applying that definition to a coin-operated machine held that "the possibility that skill could, in some way, affect the outcome of the game does not convert this device into a game of skill outside the reach of the gambling laws," because chance "must be partly responsible for a win, but need not be exclusively responsible" — concluding the device was an illegal slot machine. DCP's Gaming Division states "Electronic gaming (slot) machines are only allowed at Foxwoods Casino and Mohegan Sun Casino. All machines found outside of those facilities are illegal," and in Feb. 2025 announced the confiscation of unlicensed machines under that policy (one had collected $191,359 while paying out only 66% to players). No Connecticut-specific "skill game"/Pace-O-Matic litigation, bill, or DCP guidance distinct from this general framework was found; Pennsylvania/Georgia-style cash-payout terminals outside the two tribal casinos fall under this same actively enforced device ban.[12],[13] |
| Card rooms | Not authorized | | | No standalone card rooms are authorized outside the two tribal casinos; home/social poker with no house cut and nothing of value flowing to a non-participant is the only legal form.[6] |
| Lottery couriers | Not authorized | | | A provision banning third-party lottery courier services ("no person shall operate a ticket courier service in this state") was included in the original Senate Bill 1235 (2025), but was struck out by Senate amendment before passage; the enacted law (Public Act 25-112, eff. 2025-10-01) addresses only sweepstakes casinos. No separate statute or CT Lottery/DCP authorization for couriers (e.g. Jackpocket, Lotto.com) was found, so couriers remain unauthorized by default rather than affirmatively licensed.[9],[14] |
| Pick'em fantasy | Not authorized | | | Pick'em/player-vs-house fantasy formats are not offered by the state's three licensed fantasy- contest operators (the two tribes and CT Lottery Corp.); industry secondary sources report DCP treating pick'em-style contests as unauthorized sports wagering rather than licensed fantasy contests, and PrizePicks'/Underdog's own market lists exclude Connecticut from pick'em availability. No DCP cease-and-desist order text was independently located.[15] |
| Pari-mutuel | Limited | Legalized 1971 | Hybrid | Horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai wagering were legalized in 1971 (horse racing/ OTB) and 1972 (jai alai, dog racing); the state's OTB system opened in 1976, run today by MyWinners (a Sportech subsidiary) at nine OTB parlors plus the two tribal casinos. Live greyhound racing (Plainfield Greyhound Park, 1976-2005) and jai alai (Shoreline Star, 1996-2005) have both ceased; wagering now is on simulcast racing. MyWinners handle was $168M in 2015. 1971 horse racing/OTB legalization; 1972 jai alai and dog racing legalization [5] |
| Advance deposit wagering | Live | 2013 | Monopoly State | Connecticut's General Statutes chapter 226 define "advance deposit wager" as an off-track betting wager on racing placed by phone or electronic means, restricted to the state's single authorized OTB operator. Sportech subsidiary MyWinners.com launched in 2013 as (per contemporary reporting) the only legal horse-racing wagering website in Connecticut; it was relaunched in January 2026 as the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app/site, still licensed to CT residents for phone/online wagering on out-of-state simulcast racing (CT has no live tracks).[5],[16] |
| Charitable gaming | Live | Legalized 1939 | Monopoly State | Eligible nonprofits may run bingo (authorized 1939), bazaars and raffles (added 1955), and sealed tickets/pull-tabs (added 1987). Las Vegas nights were legalized in 1972 but repealed in 2003; merchandise/cash money-wheel games remain not authorized under current Gaming Division guidance. FY2015 charitable gaming gross revenue was $32.7M with $10.6M organizational profit.[5],[17] |
| Esports betting | Live | Legalized May 27, 2021 | Hybrid | Esports wagering is regulated as sports wagering: DCP's own Gaming Division knowledge base defines an "intercollegiate tournament" as "an intercollegiate e-sports, sporting or athletic event involving four or more teams," and legislative analysis of HB 6451 (enacted as PA 21-23) found Connecticut's "sporting event" definition, like Maryland's, Arizona's, and Wyoming's, covers "electronic sports"/"e-sports"/"video game competitions." Offered by the three Master Wagering Licensees' sportsbooks. Public Act 21-23 (2021), Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-850 et seq. (Chapter 229b) [18],[19] |
| Social casino | Live | | | Pure free-to-play social casinos with no cash-prize redemption (e.g. Hard Rock's Jackpot Planet) operate in Connecticut outside the gambling definition; this is distinct from the dual-currency sweepstakes-casino model that Public Act 25-112 (SB 1235, eff. 2025-10-01) bans (see sweepstakes_casino).[9] |