New Yorkers Flocking to Connecticut to Place Sports Bets

Connecticut’s statewide online sports betting market officially went live a week ago today. But it hasn’t taken long for residents outside state lines to make an impact.

Data show that, while online sports betting in New York is still not available, many New Yorkers travel to use Connecticut online sportsbooks.

RELATED: Check out the available offers at Caesars Sportsbook New York!

Across State Lines

According to data from GeoComply, since the initial soft launch on Oct. 12, there have been more than 1.2 million transactions, with most of those coming after Connecticut’s full launch on Oct 19. The state’s population is just over 3.5 million, but the early betting activity placed it ninth in terms of overall mobile sports betting and casino traffic, moving it past Colorado, which has a population of 5.7 million.

“We’ve learned from the New Jersey experience that New Yorkers are clearly motivated to travel locally to bet on sites where proper consumer protections have been put in place that safeguard the integrity of their wager,” Chad Kornett, VP Global Government Relations of GeoComply, said in a media release.

“Connecticut looks to be quickly following a similar pattern: Easily accessed from the New York City area, GeoComply’s data shows 38% of Connecticut gambling activity has originated from the southwestern corner of the state along the I-95 corridor.”

There has also been a heavy volume of betting activity along Stamford and Bridgeport, along with other highway entry points stretching north along the New York border becoming hotspots for wagering.

Connecticut Sports Betting

Connecticut players and those traveling from outside state lines to get their bets in, have three options. DraftKings Connecticut, FanDuel Sportsbook Connecticut, and Sugarhouse Sportsbook are the three betting options.

DraftKings gained market access through a tribal partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, while FanDuel is partnered with the Mohegan Tribe.

The Connecticut Lottery Corporation settled on Rush Street Interactive and its Sugarhouse Sportsbook after receiving numerous applications from sports betting sites looking to enter the state.

FanDuel and DraftKings are also permitted to offer online casinos. Both operators have been approved for over 130 online casino games by the Department of Consumer Protection.

“This is an exciting moment for our state and our tribal partners,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a media release about the online launch. “Connecticut has proven to be a leader when it comes to the gaming economy going back decades, and that legacy will continue with the launch of these new online options for all eligible residents. I am very proud to say that I placed the first legal, in-person sports wager in our state’s history just two weeks ago, and I encourage those who want to participate in legal sports betting to do so, responsibly. I extend my gratitude to the staff at the Department of Consumer Protection for their efforts over the last several months to make this possible, particularly since this is one of the fastest state implementations of online gaming and sports betting."