Gambling Laws in Connecticut

Connecticut's gambling history dates back to harness racing in the 1800s, but today's situation is slightly different. While most forms of gambling are legal in the state, there are few exceptions when it comes to gambling at online sites.

Connecticut Regulations: Which Type of Gambling Is Legal?

Connecticut's gambling laws are outlined by the Connecticut General Statutes 12-557 and 53-278. These categorise most forms of gambling as legal, with a few exceptions.

Casino Games - Landbased and Online

Casino gambling is legal in Connecticut. It's home to two very large casinos that would not look out of place in Las Vegas: Mohegan Sun Casino and Foxwoods. These casinos are owned and operated by the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes which are permitted by law under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.

Connecticut is one of only a handful of US states that has legalised online casino gambling, with the legislature coming into effect in 2021. The law permits the two tribal casinos to offer their services to players within the state. Giving residents access to all the best online slot games and live casino tables.

Poker Tables

Under existing laws, land-based poker is illegal in Connecticut, except for the two tribal casino venues. Social poker games within private settings are generally deemed outside the scope of the law as long as there is no profit beyond player winnings.

Online poker is technically classed as illegal. But to date, there have been no prosecution records for playing at unlicensed poker sites.

Playing Bingo

Bingo gambling is legal in Connecticut and offered by tribal casinos and charitable organisations. Playing bingo at online casinos though is illegal. But, like online poker - there haven't been any prosecutions brought against residents for doing so.

Purchasing Lottery Tickets

Lottery gambling in Connecticut is legal, with tickets for draw games and scratch cards sold by the state lottery via retailers. The group sells local and national game tickets, with some retailers also offering sports betting markets.

Playing online lottery games for real money is another question though. The current state lotto site facilitates checking draw results and getting more info on the games. You cannot physically purchase tickets here.

Gambling Socially and Crypto Casinos

Social gaming that takes place in the privacy of your home (i.e. poker) is legally permitted, as long as there is no profit beyond winnings. Like most US states, Connecticut is still debating whether lootboxes should be classed as gambling, with the current video game perks remaining unregulated. Skins gambling is also as yet unregulated in the state.

Cryptocurrencies are recognised as having a monetary value in Connecticut. Still, neither the tribal casinos nor any other legal gambling venues in the state accept virtual currencies as payment.

Sports Betting Laws in Connecticut: What's the Deal?

This is legal in Connecticut, with the two tribal casinos and the state lottery offering various betting markets.

Online sports betting is also legal, with Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and the Connecticut Lottery partnering with DraftKings, FanDuel and Rush Street Interactive to offer opportunities.

DFS was originally legalised by exempting the activity from existing gambling laws in 2017. But this violated tribal gaming laws, so an amendment was made to introduce a licensing process, with both tribal operators offering bets on the games.

Connecticut has no live racing but off-track pari-mutuel betting is offered by a network of venues owned by Sportech.

Minimum Gambling Age

The legal age for gambling in Connecticut depends on the activity. For horse racing, the lottery and charitable events, you must be at least 18 years of age. To bet on casino games or sports betting markets, whether land-based or online, residents need to be at least 21.

Connecticut Tax Regulations on Gambling Winnings

This requires operators to pay taxes based on the services they offer in the state. Online sports betting operators are charged 13.75% tax, while online casino operators pay 18% tax for the first five years, then 20%. The Connecticut Lottery isn't liable to pay tax as revenue is fed back into the state.

For individual residents, a 6.99% withholding tax is applied to all gambling winnings over $600.

History of Gambling Laws in Connecticut

The first form of gambling in Connecticut was harness racing, which dates back to the 1800s. Most forms of gambling were illegal in the state until charitable bingo was permitted in 1939 and raffles in 1955.

The Connecticut Lottery was formed in 1971, with simulcast horse and dog racing legalised in 1976. Foxwoods started as a bingo hall in 1986 and introduced table games in 1992 and slots in 1993. Whilst the Mohegan Sun Casino opened in 1996.

The last greyhound racing track in Connecticut closed in 2005, and then finally online gambling was legalised in May 2021.

Key Facts

• Casino gambling is legal in Connecticut, with the state home to 2 very large tribal casinos.

• Online casino gambling is legal.

• Poker gambling is legal but only at the two tribal casinos.

• Online poker is deemed illegal, but this is not enforced.

• Bingo gambling is legal, but only via charitable organisations or the two tribal casinos.

• Online bingo is technically illegal, but there are no records of prosecution.

• Lottery gambling is legal in Connecticut, but online sales are not permitted.

• Sports betting is legal in both offline and online forms.