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ohegan Gaming & Entertainment and FanDuel Group announced Wednesday a partnership to launch retail and online sports betting, online gaming and daily fantasy sports in Connecticut this fall. In addition, Foxwoods Resort Casino will partner with DraftKings.
“Our partnership is a priority for Mohegan Digital, as we look to grow and enhance our casino, sportsbook and online operations in Connecticut — and beyond,” said Ray Pineault, President and CEO of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.
A temporary retail Mohegan Sun / FanDuel Sportsbook will be located inside Mohegan Sun and will feature four live betting windows and sixteen self-service betting terminals. The companies anticipate opening the permanent Sportsbook location this winter, subject to securing regulatory approvals.
“Mohegan Sun is an iconic casino and entertainment destination in the Northeast, and we are excited to announce our first tribal gaming partnership with one of the leading tribal operators in the United States,” said Amy Howe, President of FanDuel Group. “We have some incredible plans for the retail space at Mohegan Sun, with the potential to be the largest FanDuel sportsbook in the United States. When we combine the retail sports betting experience with the opportunity for online sports betting and iGaming, Connecticut is going to be a key state for us as we look towards the start of football season.”
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, which owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort Casino, confirmed it will partner with DraftKings, Hartford Courant reports. It has had a digital platform for years, he said, that will adapt to iPhone apps and other uses. The Mashantuckets are opening a new casino sportsbook, DraftKings at Foxwoods, in an area formerly occupied by a casino brewpub.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill into law by the end of May legalizing sports betting and online gambling, authorizing Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and Foxwoods Resort Casino to begin making plans for an expected launch at the start of the NFL season Sept. 9. The law took effect July 1. The U.S. Department of Interior still must approve changes negotiated in the compact between the casino’s tribal owners and Connecticut. The state Department of Consumer Protection also must draft regulations.
The state is expected to raise $70 million to $80 million a year from expanded gambling, Butler said. “I can’t think of the last major revenue initiative that’s going to generate that kind of revenue for the state, outside a tax increase,” he said.
Provisional licenses issued by the state Department of Consumer Protection already have yielded revenue. DraftKings was required to pay the state $832,383 and FanDuel had to pay $325,914, according to Gov. Lamont’s office. The provisional licenses were issued to MPTN CT Fantasy LLC, a wholly owned affiliate of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation; MGA Technology DFS LLC, an affiliate of the Mohegan Tribe; and the Connecticut Lottery Corp., which has yet to announce a sports-betting and online gaming vendor.
