The owner of Mohegan Sun has teamed up with Kambi Group for sports betting launch in Connecticut
The operator of Mohegan Sun has penned a strategic partnership with European provider of solutions for the gambling industry Kambi Group in anticipation for the regulation of sports betting in Connecticut.
Mohegan Sun is located in Uncasville, Connecticut and is one of the state’s two operational casinos, the other being Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket.
In a news release, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, the parent company of the casino, said that it has selected Kambi as its sports betting partner, in case the practice gets regulated in its home state. Kambi is no stranger to the recently liberalized US sports gambling market. The company has landed similar partnerships with casinos in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Mohegan Gaming itself has expanded into the lucrative field with the launch of a sportsbook at its Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The gaming company has also revealed plans to go live with sports betting at its Mohegan Sun Pocono race track in Pennsylvania later this year.
Commenting on their latest milestone, Mohegan Tribe Chief of State said that they “are uniquely positioned to deliver an outstanding product as proven in New Jersey.”
The Mohegans are one of Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes, with the Mashantucket Pequots being the other. The two tribes are currently negotiating their existing gambling compacts with the state on how and when they will be able to operate sports betting.
Sports Betting Progress
Connecticut effectively legalized sports betting in 2017 in anticipation for a US Supreme Court ruling that came a year later to lift a long-standing federal ban on the practice. However, the state still needs to make some tweaks before being able to go live with wagering.
And although there has been a clear appetite for sports betting, the process of its regulation has faced multiple hurdles.
The state Legislature is currently considering a bill that would allow the two tribes and other interested businesses, including the Connecticut Lottery and the state’s off-track betting system, to offer sports betting.
However, the two tribes have previously pointed out that their gambling agreements state that they have the exclusive right to provide sports betting as they are the exclusive providers of casino gambling in the state. Some lawmakers dispute that claim.
Connecticut could still go live with sports betting later this year, if lawmakers, tribal officials, and other interested parties manage to come to an agreement on how the activity shall be conducted on the territory of the state and by whom.
Connecticut could become only the second state in New England to be offering wagering. Rhode Island was the first state in the region to launch betting services. That happened late last year at the state’s two casinos. A bill for the legalization of mobile betting swept through the Rhode Island Legislature earlier this month.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories.
