Guide to Online Gambling in Connecticut

Gambling in Connecticut is alive and well, even if it doesn’t have a prominent presence like other states may be known for. Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are actually two of the largest casinos in the US. Both venues offer Vegas-style gambling with slots, table games, video poker, bingo, and poker rooms.

Even if you don’t live in the vicinity, it takes less than two hours to travel across the state on the I-95, so either casino is easily accessible. When you’re not up for a day trip, though, you should know that the best Connecticut online gambling sites also have their doors open 24 hours a day.

How We Rate

Gambling safety and security

Safety & Security

You should be able to gamble online without fear. So we only recommend licensed sites that use the latest security and encryption techniques.

Gambling bonuses and promotions

Bonuses

Maximize your bankroll with fantastic bonuses. Our recommended sites offer valuable bonuses with fair terms and conditions, including manageable wagering requirements.

Casino games

Games & Betting

The best sites have the best wagering options. That’s why you will find extensive games and betting opportunities on our recommended sites.

Gambling banking methods

Banking

Getting your money to and from your account shouldn’t be a hassle. We only recommend sites with a variety of convenient banking methods, including cryptocurrency and e-wallets.

Connecticut’s association with gambling dates back centuries. As one of the original colonies, the state relied on lottery proceeds to create its initial infrastructure. While the lottery closed up shop for a while, charitable bingo entered the picture in 1939, which is well before many other states in the union.

In the last 50 years, CT gambling expansion has been successful. The lottery returned, betting on races and jai alai came next, followed by casino construction, and then daily fantasy sports (DFS). These days, sports betting is a hot topic and could emerge in the next year or two.

DFS is a regulated online gambling activity, and mobile access is included in the current sports betting legislative proposal. And when it comes to other real money gambling online in Connecticut, casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbook access are available through out-of-state providers.

Best Connecticut Gambling Sites

Best Connecticut Online Gambling Sites

Developing our list of the best Connecticut online gambling sites entails a thorough vetting process. Fortunately, we have an entire team of experts who have created a complete system for reviewing and ranking real money gambling sites.

There are several parts to the process, especially when it involves gambling online in CT or anywhere else in the US. We not only need to ensure that the casino, sportsbook, or poker room caters to Americans, but that it merits placement on our recommended list.

For example, it’s not enough to take a look at the games and give the site a thumbs up because it has a few hundred slots. There’s much more to the story.

You’ll find out more about our entire ranking process in just a bit but know that we dissect each site to see if it covers all of the essential bases. In particular, we’re looking for banking options, bonuses and promotions, a quality software provider, excellent customer service, and an overall good reputation.

Gambling Regulation in Connecticut

The Constitution State is always busy in the gambling legislation department.

Connecticut is one of the more progressive states and has made good use of its regulated betting. Its state coffers benefit from a piece of the action, and that includes the lottery, DFS, and casino gaming.

Gambling Resurgence

Like most places in the US, Connecticut had its conservative period at the turn of the 20th century. The lottery was the first to go, and it shut down operations in 1900. Then, for decades, gambling was under the table, instead of on it.

Instead of horse racing leading the way back, though, charity bingo emerged in 1939. Pari-mutuel didn’t appear until 1972, followed by a modern version of the Connecticut lottery the next year.

Prominent Connecticut Casinos

One of the biggest and boldest moves in the Connecticut real money gambling realm started in 1986, though, when Foxwoods opened its doors. A decade later, Mohegan Sun entered the scene, and the pair of tribal casinos became two of the largest and most well-known in the country.

Connecticut’s casinos are Class III, so they have all of the games that you’d see in a Las Vegas venue. The tribes have the right to all casino gambling, so there’s plenty of discussion about the structuring of future sports betting or other CT online gambling activities.

Sports Betting

State-run online casino gambling in Connecticut is on the back burner, as sports betting takes precedence. There are two 2020 bills up for a vote, so casinos and OTB locations could be taking bet slips in 2021. One of the proposals includes a mobile betting option as well.

Aside from daily fantasy sports and the potential for a mobile sportsbook, real money Connecticut online gambling is offered by sites that originate from outside the state. These are the sites that we review, rate, and rank for you.

Connecticut Gambling Online

Online gambling sites for Connecticut players tend to be a bit more limited than the online casinos and sportsbooks that cater to punters from the UK or most other global locations. The software used on these websites is licensed and regulated, and there are only a handful of providers for Americans.

One of the best tips that we can pass along is to be sure to use one of the legit CT gambling sites that we recommend. That way, you’ll know that you’re eligible to register a player’s account and that the service provided is fair, safe, and secure.

Legal Gambling in Connecticut

  • Casinos: Legal
  • Bingo: Legal
  • Poker: Legal
  • Pari-mutuel: Legal
  • Lottery: Legal
  • DFS: Legal
  • Sports betting: Proposed
  • Online gambling: Through out-of-state providers

CT Online Gambling Tips for Beginners

If you’ve previously never tried gambling online for real money, it can be intimidating at first.

It’s quite different from walking into a brick-and-mortar casino, for example. While they may offer similar gaming options, getting to them is like night and day.

Selecting the Best Connecticut Gambling Sites

The first thing you’ll want to do is select which of the top Connecticut online gambling sites are right for you. In addition to our entire list of recommendations, we’ve also ranked sites in more specific categories.

Once you have a site in mind, we advise that you check out the deposit and payout options before you register your real money gambling account. You’ll want to be sure that you have one of the accepted methods, and that leads us to another tip.

Bitcoin Benefits

Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is the easiest and usually the most preferred deposit and withdrawal option. If you have a Bitcoin account, you can transfer to your new online gambling account in a matter of minutes. Additionally, your withdrawals should be faster and free.

If you don’t have a cryptocurrency wallet and you’re not interested in getting one, then you’ll probably be using a credit, debit, or gift card. All of our recommended CT gambling sites take Visa and Mastercard, while some expand into American Express or Discover cards as well.

Prepaid gift cards will give you a measure of privacy, but they won’t work for transactions in both directions. So, when it comes time for a payout, you’ll have to provide other information, like your bank account for a direct transfer.

Your Player’s Account

Once you’re satisfied that the casino, sportsbook, or poker room has your preferred betting options and can accommodate you with its banking menu, you’ll register your account.

It’s a simple process with just the basics like name, address, phone number, and a place to set up a username and password. You may receive a call to verify your information but, once your account is good to go, it’s time to head to the cashier to make a deposit.

We have yet another tip for you, though. Before you complete your first transfer, you may want to check out the promotions section of the site.

Introduction to Bonuses

All of the best Connecticut online gambling sites are going to extend you some bonus offers. One of the most common offers is a 200% deposit match for a first-time user. So, if you’re transferring $100 into your betting bankroll, you’ll get a bonus of $200. Don’t jump at it too quickly, though.

While you will receive that bonus as promised, you have an obligation in return. It’s called the “rollover requirement.” You’ll need to do enough betting to satisfy that rollover before you reap any benefit.

Let’s say that you claim that $200 bonus from the example from above and there’s a 30x playthrough requirement. That means that you add your bonus and deposit together, so it’s $300 in total. Then, you need to play that $300 (in much smaller increments) 30x over.

You may be excited about the opportunity, as it can extend your gambling funds. But on the other hand, you may not want the responsibility. So, as you’re making your deposit, you’ll either have to input a coupon code to activate the bonus, or you’ll uncheck a box to indicate that you’re declining the offer.

Other Resources

If you want to learn more about bonuses and promotions, payment options, or online gambling for beginners, we’ve got all kinds of information at your disposal.

We’d suggest starting with our beginner’s guide to gambling, and also checking out our blog.

Ranking Top Gambling Sites for CT

We’ve just detailed some key factors to gambling online for real money in Connecticut, and all of those things come into play when we’re determining which sites are better than others.

As we have an entire article dedicated to how we rank all of the gambling sites and the specific criteria that we use, we won’t get too detailed here. Suffice it to say, though, that it’s a multi-step process.

The first step that we take is to identify all of the regulated online gambling sites that allow Connecticut players to register. From there, we do comprehensive reviews of every website. We go through our list of requirements and make overall impressions. Each online gambling site has a dedicated review.

Then, we have to compare reviews as well as take into consideration player impressions, the reputation of the owner, etc. While that’s enough to compile our rankings, we go back and revisit the same sites from time to time. Our experts stay on top of the online gambling comings and goings, then make rating adjustments accordingly.

With our continuous process of re-evaluations, you’ll always have accurate and updated information to draw upon when you’re looking for a recommendation for where to gamble online in Connecticut.

History of Connecticut Gambling Laws

1971 Creation of Connecticut LotteryConnecticut Lottery created
1986 First legal bingo hall opens
1991 Tribal groups allowed to operate charitable games
1992 Table GamesTable games legalized
1993 Slot machines legalized

Where You Can Gamble in Connecticut

Blue TentFoxwoods Resort Casino

Fox woods Resort Casino

Address: 350 Trolley Line Blvd, Mashantucket, CT 06338
Venue Type:Tribal casino
Blue TentMohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun

Address: 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville, CT 06382
Venue Type: Tribal casino

Recap

Connecticut is quite progressive when it comes to real money gambling, and more expansion is still on the horizon. Sports betting, including mobile wagering, could come into play for in-state regulation within the next year or two if voters are in favor.

Online gambling in CT already covers a broad range of options. There’s in-state licensing and regulation for daily fantasy sports, as well as a variety of out-of-state gambling sites for Connecticut.

You can join any of the best Connecticut gambling sites that we recommend and be confident of a good experience.

Kevin Roberts
Kevin Roberts Administrator

Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he's a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects.

When it comes to the NFL, Kevin's favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.

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