The Connecticut General Law Committee has filed Senate Bill 1235, which would prohibit online sweepstakes casinos from operating in the state.
SB 1235 aims to prohibit lottery ticket resales and courier services and prevent sweepstake operators from offering actual or simulated online casino gaming and/or sports wagering.
The Statement of Purpose of the bill reads as follows:
- Prohibit lottery ticket resales and ticket courier services.
- Modify the Commissioner of Consumer Protection’s disciplinary authority concerning certain gaming licensees.
- Require vendor and affiliate licensees to provide books and records.
- Define and redefine certain terms concerning gaming.
- Modify provisions concerning wagers on sporting events involving Connecticut intercollegiate teams.
- Restrict who may review certain criminal history records checks.
- Prohibit certain advertising.
- Authorize certain bets and wagers on boxing and mixed martial arts.
- Provide that certain persons conducting sweepstakes or promotional drawings shall not allow or facilitate participation in certain real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering.
- Provide that any person who engages in professional gambling shall be guilty of a Class D felony.
- Repeal a provision authorizing the commissioner to appoint a director to perform delegated functions.
A ticket courier service is defined earlier in the proposed legislation as a “for-profit delivery service operated for the purpose of (A) purchasing lottery tickets (i) for games authorized pursuant to this chapter, and (ii) on behalf of individuals located inside or outside of this state and (B) delivering or transmitting such lottery tickets, or electronic images thereof, to such individuals.”
It also seeks to permit wagers on boxing and mixed martial arts contests, such as the UFC, as long as the wager does not violate new sweepstakes rules.
SB 1235 also seeks to make punishments for professional gambling harsher. Professional gambling is defined, in existing Connecticut legislation, as “accepting or offering to accept, for profit, money, credits, deposits or other things of value risked in gambling” and goes on to give pool-selling, bookmaking, maintaining slot and one-ball machines as the first examples.
Existing law also prohibits pinball machines that award anything other than an immediate and unrecorded right of replay, roulette wheels, dice tables, and pushcards. It also captures any banking game played with cards, dice, counters, or “accepting any fixed share of the stakes therein.”
Under the proposed legislation, anyone found guilty of being a professional gambler would face a Class D felony. Typically, a Class D felony in Connecticut can carry up to five years imprisonment.
Connecticut Continues Sweepstake Crusade
Last year, the Constitution State issued a cease and desist order to VGW, one of the world’s largest sweepstake operators.
The letter stated “VGW is hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist offering its games and services to Connecticut customers.”
It added: “Failure to comply may result in additional action including, but not limited to, civil penalties under CUTPA and/or criminal penalties under Conn. Gen. Stat 53-287b and 53-278d.”
In October 2024, it was reported that VGW had updated its terms and conditions to include Connecticut on the limited list of states where it does not offer services.
A cease-and-desist letter issued earlier in the year stated, “VGW is hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist offering its games and services to Connecticut customers.
“Failure to comply may result in additional action including, but not limited to, civil penalties under CUTPA and/or criminal penalties under Conn. Gen. Stat. 53-278b and 53-278d.”
Connecticut Legislature Is Choc-A-Bloc with Gambling
Six bills were recently introduced in Connecticut, mainly related to sports betting. The bills to be considered range from legalizing in-flight betting to creating a cap on hold for operators in the state.
Proposed measures to enhance player protection are also more in line with the bill prohibiting those offering illegal sweepstake products.
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