Connecticut Gambling Laws

The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) is fundamental to understanding the state's land-based gaming industry.

IGRA created the federal framework governing gaming on Indian lands and divides tribal gaming into different classes. Class III gaming, which includes traditional casino products such as slot machines and house-banked table games, generally requires a tribal-state compact or other federally recognized authorization.

The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan gaming operations developed within this federal framework.

IGRA is a federal statute rather than a state enactment, but it is essential to understanding why the state's two tribal gaming properties operate differently from ordinary commercial establishments.

The Final Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Procedures, published in the Federal Register in 1991, provided the legal framework for Class III gaming on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation.

These procedures helped establish the foundation for what became Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The gaming relationship was supplemented by a 1993 Memorandum of Understanding between the tribal nation and the state. The agreement established important provisions involving slot-machine gaming and payments to the state.

The procedures and subsequent agreements remain central parts of the legal framework governing gaming at Foxwoods.

The state entered into a Tribal-State Compact with the Mohegan Tribe in 1994, establishing a framework for Class III gaming on the Mohegan Reservation.

A related Memorandum of Understanding addressed video facsimile games and revenue arrangements. These agreements provided the legal foundation for the development and operation of Mohegan Sun.

Both the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot agreements have been amended over time as the gaming market has evolved.

Chapter 226 of the Connecticut General Statutes contains many of the state's principal provisions concerning gaming regulation.

Among other matters, the chapter establishes powers and responsibilities associated with the Department of Consumer Protection and Gaming Policy Board and provides statutory authority for the regulation of several forms of wagering.

Following the 2021 gaming expansion, Chapter 226 also contains many of the provisions governing online casino gaming, sports wagering and related licensing.

Public Act 21-23 represented one of the most significant changes to the state's gaming system in decades.

The legislation was enacted following new agreements between the state, Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and Mohegan Tribe and created the framework for:

• Online casino gaming
• Online sports wagering
• Retail sports wagering
• Fantasy contests
• Online keno
• Certain online lottery sales

The Act established master wagering licenses and supporting licensing categories while giving the Department of Consumer Protection significant regulatory authority over the newly authorized market.

The legislation also established consumer safeguards involving age verification, geolocation, responsible gaming, self-exclusion and platform security.

Statewide online casino gaming subsequently launched in October 2021.

Many of the provisions created by Public Act 21-23 are now found in Connecticut General Statutes §§ 12-850 through 12-871.

These sections establish definitions, licensing requirements and operating rules for the regulated online gaming and sports wagering markets.

Under the framework, online casino gaming cannot simply be offered by any company wishing to enter the market. Operators and service providers must participate through the authorized licensing structure and comply with DCP requirements.

The statutes also impose player-protection requirements. For example, CGS § 12-863 requires an individual placing an authorized online casino or sports wager outside tribal reservations to be at least 21 and physically present within the state when the wager is placed.

Electronic wagering platforms must use systems capable of verifying eligibility and location.

The state's general criminal gambling provisions are primarily contained in CGS §§ 53-278a through 53-278g.

These statutes define gambling-related terms and establish offenses involving unauthorized gambling activity.

CGS § 53-278b, for example, addresses gambling offenses while recognizing certain exceptions, including gambling incidental to a bona fide social relationship when nobody other than the participants receives anything from the activity.

The distinction is important because the existence of legal tribal properties and licensed internet platforms does not make unlicensed gambling businesses generally lawful.

Businesses offering wagering must fall within an authorized legal framework.