As June closed, the understanding was the daily fantasy sports in Connecticut might go offline July 1.
Users looking to submit baseball or basketball lineups via their go-to DFS apps might not have their entries accepted by the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel.
Fortunately, that fear has since been eased.
Both fantasy sports powerhouses have secured official partnerships in Connecticut and had provisional licenses to offer DFS approved by the Department of Consumer Protection.
As a result, DFS continues to stay online and accept entries in Connecticut.
DraftKings, FanDuel get CT market access
The law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont that legalized retail sportsbooks and betting apps in CT also authorized daily fantasy sports.
However, operators would need to apply for and receive licensing to offer DFS in the state. As fantasy sports previously operated in a gray area, such a requirement was not necessary.
The new law, allowing the two tribes and the Connecticut Lottery to have DFS partners, went into effect July 1. And it required fantasy sports operators to officially partner with one of the aforementioned parties to gain market access.
DraftKings, which was more of a promotional partner with Foxwoods Resort Casino, made it official by landing a deal with the Mashantucket Pequot. Similarly, FanDuel partnered with the Mohegan Tribe. The state lottery has yet to announce a DFS partner.
Both operators were granted provisional licenses, effective at midnight July 1.
Limited daily fantasy sports in Connecticut
Prior to the new law, DFS was neither legal nor illegal in Connecticut. As noted, the industry existed in a gray area.
Both DraftKings and FanDuel accepted players located in the state, as did a variety of other operators such as Yahoo Fantasy Sports, FantasyDraft and PrizePicks.
Now, those latter two platforms cannot operate in Connecticut unless they partner with the CT Lottery.
As for DraftKings and FanDuel, the new law requires that DFS companies pay back fees as compensation for previously operating in the state without licenses. According to the Department of Consumer Protection, those fees amounted to $832,383.45 for DraftKings and $325,914.91 for FanDuel.
