HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Casino executives, lottery officials and even former baseball player Bobby Valentine have traveled to Connecticut’s Capitol, hoping to get a piece of whatever system the Legislature may put in place to legalize sports gambling.
The General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee is holding a public hearing Tuesday on that issue and other bills to expand gambling in the state.
A recent Supreme Court ruling that opened up wagering on athletics has already led to its legalization in several states, including neighboring Rhode Island and nearby New Jersey.
Connecticut’s legislature must consider how any bill might impact the state’s gaming compact with the Indian tribes that own the state’s two casinos.
The casinos, Connecticut Lottery, off-track betting operators, even sports bars, including two owned by Valentine, are hoping to offer sports betting.
