Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) isn’t dawdling in terms of getting things lined up for the launch of Connecticut sports betting and Connecticut online casino. Just days after amending its partnership with Kambi to give it some leeway along these lines, it has struck a deal to create a FanDuel Sportsbook Connecticut.
The result is that FanDuel Sportsbook and a FanDuel-powered but Mohegan-branded online casino are on their way to Connecticuters, assuming regulatory approvals. This means CT residents should have access to both of the top two sports betting companies across the nation in the future.
Details on FanDuel Sportsbook Connecticut
According to the terms of the recently approved gaming compact between the Mohegan Tribe and CT, MGE can bring both online and retail sports betting to customers. It has delegated those duties to FanDuel.
These verticals expand on the existing partnership between FanDuel and MGE for legal daily fantasy sports contests in CT. A new law regulating that segment of the gaming industry took effect in CT on July 1.
According to the press release, the companies are eyeing fall 2021 for a launch of both the app and the brick-and-mortar sportsbook. That retail book will have a temporary location at Mohegan Sun Casino near Uncasville. Bettors will find four windows and 16 kiosks there.
FanDuel aspires to open the permanent location at the casino sometime this winter. So far, the companies aren’t sharing exactly where on the casino campus that will be, though a spokesperson for FanDuel stated both the permanent and temporary locations will be less than a five-minute walk from Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Connecticut Sun play their home games. The release states it will feature an “incredible game-day atmosphere with wagering options available across a variety of sporting events.”
That could mean VIP areas, multiple seating options, several monitors displaying multiple events, and perhaps beverage plus food service. Retail FanDuel books in other jurisdictions incorporate all of those elements.
The online casino platform could be of potential interest to a greater segment of the population. Details are even scanter about that right now, however.
Mohegan online casino coming to CT
The release provides no timeline for the launch of an online casino product in CT. It does state that FanDuel will provide the product using Mohegan’s branding. That almost assuredly means MGE’s own online casino platform it offers gamblers in New Jersey among other places won’t be opening up shop in CT, as the compact only allows for one product.
FanDuel Casino currently operates in Michigan, NJ, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It isn’t clear yet how similar this Mohegan product will be. If it’s essentially a carbon copy with different aesthetics, it will be competitive.
Forthcoming regulations from the CT Lottery will have some effect on the number and type of games available. However, FanDuel Casino in other jurisdictions offers:
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Craps
- Live dealer games
- Roulette
- Slots
- Video Poker
The menu of slot titles includes some of the most popular games from studios like IGT and NetEnt. Some of those titles, like Divine Fortune, are famous for their progressive jackpots. Although the compact allows for online poker, the release makes no mention of that vertical in partnership with FanDuel.
This could signal something in the works later, though. FanDuel’s parent company, Flutter Entertainment, also owns PokerStars. MGE’s NJ property, Resorts Atlantic City, provides market access into the Garden State for PokerStars. MGE could simply expand that deal to include CT.
Because the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has partnered with DraftKings Sportsbook in a similar way, Connecticuters should enjoy both of the most popular sportsbooks in several other jurisdictions. Online casino enthusiasts in CT can also start anticipating a product for them as well.
