BOSTON — In-person sports betting begins Thursday in Connecticut, giving New Englanders another option for placing legal wagers on Tom Brady’s long-anticipated return to Foxborough this Sunday.
As the Massachusetts Senate mulls over the legalization of sports betting again this session, the activity has now been approved in every state bordering Massachusetts besides Vermont. The House approved a sports betting bill this summer but the Senate, where the bill has not drawn outright opposition, has consistently shown less interest in the idea and has the House bill under the review of its Ways and Means Committee.
Connecticut’s rollout begins Thursday with in-person betting at temporary sportsbooks at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, both in the eastern part of the state and relatively accessible from Massachusetts by I-395 and I-95. Mohegan Sun said adults 21+ can begin placing bets after a 9:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mobile and online wagering for the Nutmeg State remains a week away, according to The Day newspaper.
The launch of retail betting comes early in the NFL season and coincides with Brady’s first-ever game against the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick. Patriots loyalists, TB12 fans and everyone in between can also travel over state lines to Rhode Island or New Hampshire to plunk down some cash on Sunday night’s game. Rhode Island’s sports betting website featured a series of Brady/Rob Gronkowski prop bets Thursday morning and listed Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 7-point favorites.
When the House nearly unanimously approved its sports betting bill (H 3993) in July, Rep. Jerald Parisella pointed out the neighboring states that offer and profit from the activity while illicit gambling still attracts bettors here.
“We’re surrounded,” Parisella, who chairs the Committee on Economic Development, said.
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