Mohegans' amended gaming compact published in Federal Register
Notice of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs’ approval of the Mohegan Tribe’s amended gaming agreement with the state appeared Wednesday in the Federal Register, effectively granting federal authorization for the tribe to offer online and on-site sports wagering and online casino gaming.
A similar notice of the BIA’s approval of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s amended gaming agreement with the state is expected.
Published daily by the U.S. government, the Federal Register issues proposed and final administrative regulations of federal agencies.
A spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont affirmed Wednesday that sports wagering will launch in Connecticut in October.
“All operations will start at the same time,” Max Reiss, the spokesman, said, referring to the sports wagering about to be offered by the two tribes and the Connecticut Lottery Corp. He said the state Department of Consumer Protection still must issue licenses to the three entities and oversee an independent audit of their online applications to ensure they comport with newly adopted regulations.
“None of that has been completed yet,” Reiss said. “No one is ready to start tomorrow.”
When the governor’s office announced late last week that it had been notified that the BIA had approved the tribal-state gaming compacts, Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket chairman, said sports betting could be in place for the third week of National Football League play, which was two weeks away.
“It is anticipated that sports wagering and online gaming will be available for Connecticut residents in October,” the governor’s office said in the Sept. 9 statement the office jointly issued with the tribes.
The fourth week of the NFL season will be the first to take place in October.
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