Two More States Will Offer Retail Sports Betting for Football Season

by Dave Schwab - 10/4/2021

The calendar has turned the page to October with close to 30 states now offering sports betting in some form. Along with the all the weekly action from college football and the NFL, the start of this season’s MLB playoffs can add a boost to the weekly betting handle.

Connecticut entered the live market last Thursday with high expectations for its overall betting potential. This is a key addition to the all-important northeast corridor of the US market that is already highlighted by New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These are two of the top three sports betting markets in the country based on their monthly betting volume.

Retail sports betting went live in Connecticut on Sept. 30. This was a full week ahead of schedule with the original launch date set for Oct. 7

The betting system in Connecticut will consist of three major sportsbook operators. FanDuel will partner with the Mohegan Tribe as owner and operator of the Mohegan Sun casino resort. DraftKings will enter the state through a partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, who own and operate Foxwoods Casino.

The third operator in the state will be Rush Street Interactive with its PlaySugarHouse brand. The Chicago-based company struck a deal with the Connecticut Lottery.

Along with online sports betting through a mobile app, both FanDuel and DraftKings will be able to offer online betting on casino games. FanDuel’s platform will carry the Mohegan Sun brand name. Through its gaming agreement with Foxwoods, the DraftKings Casino app will also be available in Connecticut.

For patrons of each land-based casino, they will be able to wager on the games live at the FanDuel Sportsbook at Mohegan Sun and the DraftKings Sportsbook at Foxwoods.

Connecticut law also makes provisions for retail sportsbooks with SugarHouse branding through the state lottery. There could be as many as 15 retail books covering the biggest population centers in the state.

Another state looking to launch retail sports betting in early October is Louisiana. Hurricane Ida in late August delayed plans for about two weeks. However, everything remains on pace to go live with sports betting at certain land-based gaming venues in the state.

Online sports betting may be delayed until later this year as out-of-state sportsbook operators work through the licensing process. Major US books such as FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook have already formed strategic partnerships with casinos to enter the mobile marketplace

Louisiana will also offer sports betting kiosks in certain bars and restaurants by early next year. This retail segment of the industry will be regulated by the Louisiana Lottery Corp. The licensing process should be completed by the end of this year.

Louisiana is home to 15 riverboat casinos plus the land-based Harrah’s casino in New Orleans. There are also four race tracks in the state for horse betting. According to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, eight of those gaming venues have gone through the licensing process.

These retail locations would have the ability to start accepting sports bets at onsite sportsbooks in early October if everything continues to go according to plan.

Louisiana will one of the few states in the southeastern corridor of the US offering both retail and online sports betting. Tennessee went live with mobile betting only last November. Both Arkansas and Mississippi only offer sports betting through retail sportsbooks aligned with existing casinos and race tracks.

Florida is attempting to launch legal sports betting this year, but numerous legal challenges to the state’s amended compacts with the Seminole Tribe is delaying the regulatory process.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
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Two More States Will Offer Retail Sports Betting for Football Season

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