New Bill Would Permit Betting on UConn Huskies From Connecticut

Connecticut lawmakers are considering allowing gamblers in the state to place bets on the UConn Huskies and other state schools.

House Bill 5284 also includes new rules for how sports betting and other games can be marketed, more specifically allowing third party affiliates to promote Connecticut-licensed mobile sportsbooks.  Gaming affiliates typically get paid 25% to 35% of player losses.  House Bill 5284 would permit compensation to third party marketers who send players to online sportsbooks.

Gamblers have been able to bet on their beloved UConn Huskies during the NCAA Tournament per one exemption to the current law that conveniently allows wagering during tournament play.  The men's Huskies team won another championship while the women's Huskies team made it to the Final Four.

The bill, which was introduced and approved by the Public Safety and Security Committee earlier this session and is now awaiting further action in the House, removes those betting restrictions on in-state schools and games that feature them, but still prohibits bets placed on individual players (i.e. player prop bets).

Lawmakers have until May 8 to pass this bill.  The Connecticut General Assembly only began producing some of the first floor votes on bills this week.

The bill also adds new restrictions on marketing that targets young people who aren’t legally allowed to gamble, a move that’s been praised by the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

The bill restricts the use of ads with “images, symbols, celebrity or entertainer endorsements, or language” designed to appeal to those under the age of 21.

Sports betting operators in Connecticut, including the Connecticut Lottery Corp. and Fanatics, raised concerns about the proposal because they say it could be too costly to compensate marketers simply for sending traffic to their websites.

It’s an inefficient business model, they say.

“If marketing affiliates were to be compensated just on click-throughs without the additional step of having the patron create an account and place a minimum deposit in that account, those marketing affiliates would logically focus their strategy on targeting the largest number of individuals including people who aren't interested in sports betting,” said Arthur Mongillo, CT Lottery’s public affairs manager. “Connecticut's the only state in the country with legalized and regulated sports betting that has basically excluded affiliate marketing from the industry because they banned all of the economically feasible forms of compensation.”

Connecticut is currently home to three licensed sportsbooks: DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics. Offshore sportsbooks also take bets from those in Connecticut and have long allowed wagering on UConn games throughout the season while also taking bets on Huskies player props, mainly the men's squad.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com