Governor made history

Governor Ned Lamont made history by becoming the first person to place a legal sports wager in Connecticut shortly after cutting the ribbon at Mohegan Sun Casino to launch the state’s betting market.

Cathy Soper, director of communications for the casino resort’s owners the Mohegan Tribe, shared the historic moment on September 30 via Twitter.

The first legal wager in the state was also Lamont’s maiden wager. He laid down $50 on the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to beat the Chicago Sky, which they did.

FanDuel Sportsbook, the Mohegan Sun’s sports betting partner and operator of the casino’s temporary sportsbook, took to Twitter to showcase Gov. Lamont and his history-making ticket.

The two men pictured on either side of Lamont (above) are former NFL players, the New England Patriots’ Darius Butler and New York Jets’ Wayne Chrebet. The two ex-pros had the honor of placing Connecticut’s second and third legal bets at the resort’s temporary retail sportsbook.

With Thursday being the first day of the state’s protracted rollout of legal sports betting and iGaming, Lamont was a busy man. Shortly after his ribbon-cutting ceremony at Mohegan Sun, Lamont made the short journey to Foxwoods Resort Casino, which was also celebrating the grand opening of its temporary DraftKings sports betting venue at its Rainmaker Casino.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation-owned Foxwoods Resort Casino also got onto Twitter to share a video of the opening ceremony.

At Foxwoods, Lamont wagered $20 each on the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the Patriots, and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees to beat the Toronto Blue Jays.

Online launch coming soon

The retail sports wagering installations at both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are temporary, with permanent sportsbooks currently under construction. Thursday’s retail launch at the two tribal casinos was a precursor to the larger launch of sports betting in Connecticut slated for early October.

Online sports betting was due to soft launch October 7. According to the Wilton Bulletin, however, Department of Consumer Protection spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt said that due to last-minute delays on approvals, the online gaming rollout is likely to be pushed back “a couple days”.

For Connecticut bettors on Thursday, however, the launch of retail sports betting was something to celebrate.

Wait is finally over

According to a report by the Associated Press, Zach Young of New Haven, Connecticut, said he has been “waiting for this day.”

President and GM of Mohegan Sun, Jeff Hamilton, said in a news release that it was “a thrill” to offer guests sports betting. He added it was a “milestone that was a long time in the making.”

fun to kind of sit back, watch the games, bet, be physically there, watch it all happen”

Connecticut resident Chelsea Savignac said she was looking forward to hanging out at the permanent Foxwoods sportsbook when it opens. “I think it would be really fun to kind of sit back, watch the games, bet, be physically there, watch it all happen.”

She added: “There be more energy, more interaction with the sport instead of just doing it from the couch on your phone.”