© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

Connecticut Lottery Seeking Sports Betting Operator's License

Baishampayan Ghose
/
Flickr
Several sports betting bills are being considered by Connecticut lawmakers during the 2019 legislative session.

The Connecticut Lottery wants to partner up with the state on sports betting.

Lawmakers are considering multiple operators for any potential rollout of sports betting and the Connecticut Lottery is pledging to give all profits it generates to the state.

Members of the legislature’s Public Safety and Security committee heard testimony regarding a bill that would authorize wagering on sports. Connecticut Lottery President Greg Smith spoke to Connecticut Public Radio after he testified.

“The lottery has been saying that we will return four-to-five times more per dollar wagered than any other operator,” said Connecticut Lottery president Greg Smith. “This bill contemplates an approximately 10 percent tax on their gross gaming revenue -- after prizes have been paid out.”

Smith said that the lottery wouldn’t pay the tax, but do something instead that could be more lucrative for the state.

“Once we all pay our operating expenses, the lottery will give all of the money back to the state,” Smith said.

Smith said that the Lottery would work with a third party to make sports betting available to everyone in the state by offering it online and in retail shops.

“From a dollars-and-cents standpoint, the lottery would be the most profitable business model for the state of Connecticut, but the reality is that we have various stakeholders that also need to remain competitive who have invested here in the state of Connecticut,” said State Rep. Joe Verrengia (D-West Hartford), the house chair of the Public Safety and Security committee.

The tribes which run the state's two casinos, the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans, as well as off-track-betting facilities are also among those being considered by the state to operate sports betting.

Those tribes could potentially stand in the way of anybody else that wants in on sports betting. They’ve said that the existing gaming compacts they each have with the state give them exclusive rights.

Verrengia said the tribes and the governor’s office are having ongoing dialogue that could resolve a dispute surrounding the exclusivity claim.

Tags
Frankie Graziano is the host of 'The Wheelhouse,' focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content
Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.