Connecticut Bill Would Legalize In-Flight Sports BettingFederal Law May Be At Odds With Plan |
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Air travelers in Connecticut may soon have the opportunity to place sports bets right on the plane if one legislator in the Constitution State has his way.
State Rep. Christopher Rosario (Democrat) has introduced Bill 6051, a first-of-its-kind piece of legislation that would legalize in-flight sports wagering. With 38 states and Washington D.C. now offering some form of regulated sports betting, he sees adding air gambling as a way to meet a growing demand.
“Betting has become big business in the state of Connecticut and if this takes off, literally, no pun intended, let’s be there to capture some of that revenue,” Rosario said.
Details On The Plan
The bill would allow for betting on all flights originating or terminating in the state. Currently, the Connecticut Lottery partners with Fanatics to operate sports betting in the state.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and Mohegan Tribe also offers live sports wagering with an online partner. The bill calls for 1% of all revenue generated by in-flight wagering to go toward supporting public education in the state’s rural and urban school districts.
Delta Airlines recently struck a new deal with DraftKings, allowing for many of the operator’s online gaming options to be offered on flights, but not for real-money gaming.
Rosario’s bill could at least allow sports betting on the platform in Connecticut, but there may be obstacles as the federal Gambling Devices Act of 1962 makes gambling on U.S. flights illegal.
Connecticut officially legalized sports betting in 2021 and has seen more than $5 billion wagered since then. The state saw a record handle of $243.7 million in December, a year-over-year increase of almost 36%. That could grow even more in the coming years.
“We’re kind of still in the first inning as far as legalized sports betting in the state,” Connecticut Lottery Corp. director of sports betting Andrew Walter said in October.
The bill comes as other proposals have been put forward in Connecticut to set new standards for the industry. Some of those changes could include allowing residents and visitors to bet on Connecticut NCAA teams, allowing operators to correct betting errors, and requiring operators to allow bettors to opt out of viewing certain sports, events, or types of wagering.
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