Mohegan — Anticipating the state’s legalization of sports betting, perhaps this year, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with a European gambling operator to provide Mohegan Sun with online and on-property sports-betting products.

In a news release, MGE said it has chosen to partner with Kambi Group, which has reached similar agreements with casinos in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two of the first states to introduce sports betting in the wake of last May’s U.S. Supreme Court decision enabling states to legalize the activity.

MGE, which operates Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., has introduced a sportsbook there and plans to open one later this year at Mohegan Sun Pocono, the racetrack casino it owns and operates near Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Connecticut’s two casino-owning tribes, the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots, are negotiating new terms of their gaming agreements with the state. One legislative proposal now under consideration would allow the tribes and other entities, including the state's off-track betting system and the Connecticut Lottery Corp., to offer sports betting on premises and online.

In the past, the tribes have maintained that their gaming agreements with the state grant them the exclusive right to provide sports betting, a position some in state government dispute.

“We feel that we are uniquely positioned to deliver an outstanding (sports betting) product as proven in New Jersey,” Chuck Bunnell, the Mohegans’ chief of state, said. “Fortunately, Connecticut and its two tribal nations have a partnership that makes them ready to be national leaders in this market.”

The Mashantuckets, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the tribes’ negotiations with the state.

A “free-to-play” version of Mohegan Sun’s new online sportsbook is up and running, providing links to mobile and desktop options. It’s designed to enable patrons “to familiarize themselves with the Kambi product ahead of a regulated real-money launch,” MGE said.

“Mohegan Sun’s goal is to utilize our brand and strong presence in the state, and after a long vetting process, we found that Kambi was best positioned to complement that, as they're the most sophisticated and comprehensive sportsbook out there,” said Aviram Alroy, MGE’s vice president of interactive gaming.

Headquartered in Malta, Kambi recently has introduced sportsbooks at Parx Casino and the South Philadelphia Turf Club in Pennsylvania, and plans to open its first U.S. office in Philadelphia. It also has offices in Romania, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Sweden and Australia. It’s listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Mohegan Sun's online sportsbook is at bit.ly/SunSportsbook.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com