Online Poker on Perpetual Hold in Connecticut
Poker players in the United States have been waiting for more states to legalize online poker. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware did it more than a decade ago. Pennsylvania and Michigan did it in the last five years. But most don’t know that West Virginia and Connecticut also legalized igaming in the last five years. That is because neither state has overseen the launch of any online poker sites, only online casinos.
The problem with West Virginia and Connecticut is that their markets are relatively small. For online poker sites to pay for licenses, move servers, and launch sites in those states, the costs would outweigh any potential profits. The only way for online poker to become feasible in those states is for their governors to sign the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, also known as MSIGA. To share online player pools with other states would give companies like PokerStars, WSOP, and BetMGM the financial motivation to go through the process of launching online poker sites in WV and CT.
Connecticut, however, poses a unique problem. Its igaming law won’t allow the ability to share.
Online Poker Legalization in Connecticut
The process took years, as lawmakers debated the issue and then Governor Ned Lamont had to work with its Native American gaming tribes to amend their Connecticut gaming compacts. In addition, he had to navigate legal threats from MGM Resorts, which had wanted to build in Connecticut. Eventually, in March 2021, all parties were on board.
The Connecticut state legislature considered bills, one of which made its way through the State House and Senate in May. Overwhelming approvals led to Lamont signing Public Act 21-23 on May 27, 2021.
I was proud to sign this landmark piece of legislation into law today. Modernizing our gaming marketplace has been a long time coming, and I’m thankful for the partnerships we forged that helped make this happen.@MoheganSun @FoxwoodsCT @mariahornct @CathyOsten pic.twitter.com/a6OMg4uGW0
— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) May 27, 2021
What followed was a very fast process of establishing the regulatory framework. The US Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, approved the gaming compacts.
On October 19, 2021, the first online casinos and sports wagering sites opened under the new regime in Connecticut, signaling the beginning of a new market.
Online Poker Missing
As mentioned, online poker sites could launch in Connecticut, but the operators would be unable to connect their player pools with those in other states. Without the authorization for Connecticut to sign on to MSIGA, it is simply not a feasible or reasonable business decision to launch online poker in the state.
PlayUSA spoke to Mashantucket Pequot Chairman Rodney Butler at a recent gaming conference about it. As the operators of Foxwoods Casino, the tribe is one of the two authorized to offer igaming, including online poker. But Butler explained, “It’s coming eventually. The issue with online poker in every market is liquidity. If you don’t have a large enough pool, it’s not as successful. And so we haven’t gone down the path of trying to identify how we do those multistate agreements and the like that would build enough liquidity for it to be worthwhile for the players and for us.”
The problem is a multi-faceted one.
To amend the current igaming law to allow for interstate poker agreements like MSIGA, it will require the legislature to file the amendment and pass it. It will also require the tribes to amend their compacts with the state, obtaining gubernatorial and federal approval.
That’s a lot, especially for tribes that don’t particularly care about online poker at this time. Online casinos in Connecticut deliver an average of $30M to $35M per month in revenue, and the two tribes are satisfied with this. And sports betting – both live and online – delivers anywhere between $9M and $19M per month in revenue.
As it stands, it appears that online poker is not a priority or even much of a consideration in Connecticut. It may be years before the state officially enters the online poker market.
Connecticut sports betting and igaming handle reaches $985.4m in August
— Focus Gaming News (@FocusGamingNews) September 22, 2023
The sports betting handle was $91.3.#US #Connecticut #SportsBetting #Igaminghttps://t.co/Ib0Y2bknsn pic.twitter.com/q4PFGQrMWQ
