The tribal operators of Mohegan Sun have selected an online and on-site sportsbook should the state legalize sports betting.
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) on Wednesday announced it signed Kambi Group, headquartered in the southern European island country of Malta, to provide sports betting at its flagship Connecticut casino.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Sports betting is, of course, illegal in Connecticut, but several bills in the state legislature would create a path to legalize it.
A bipartisan bill proposed in January aims to give the state’s two tribal casinos — Mohegan and Foxwoods Resort Casino — the exclusive rights to offer sports betting, while other proposals would also authorize off-tracking betting sites and the Connecticut Lottery to provide the service for those ages 21 and over.
However, any measure legalizing sports betting would require the state to renegotiate its long-standing gaming compacts with the two tribes, which own the exclusive rights to commercial casino games in the state.
Gov. Ned Lamont supported legalizing sports betting on the campaign trail last year, but excluded the item in his $43 billion, two-year state budget proposed last month.
For now, Mohegan is offering the Kambi sportsbook online to familiarize guests with the gaming product for free ahead of its potentially regulated launch. Players can earn “momentum” rewards through the service available in a desktop version as well as Android and iPhone mobile apps.
Mohegan said it chose Kambi, which provides services to more than 20 gaming operators in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Europe, Asia and Latin America, because of its credibility in the industry supplying a suite of services including odds compiling, trading and risk management.
“Mohegan Sun’s goal is to utilize our brand and strong presence in the state and after a long vetting process, we found that Kambi was best positioned to complement that, as they’re the most sophisticated and comprehensive Sportsbook out there,” said Aviram Alroy, MGE’s vice president of interactive gaming.
Mohegan and Foxwoods have been plotting sports-betting operations since May 2018, when the Supreme Court lifted a 1992 federal law that prohibited most states from legalizing sports wagers.
Lawmakers failed to pass sports betting during last year’s legislative session, while New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and others went on to legalize it.
If legalized in Connecticut, the two casinos plan to add sports-betting kiosks throughout their gaming floors and would convert certain electronic gaming tables into sports betting hubs, officials have told Hartford Business Journal.
The tribes also plan to launch sports betting at their jointly operated satellite casino in East Windsor, which federal officials approved last week, giving the tribes an opportunity to compete with MGM Springfield in the northern corridor of the state.
Read more
CT casinos record eighth straight month of declining slot revenues
