CT Considering Changes to College Sports Betting Laws Amid NCAA Concerns

Despite the news of the New York Gaming Commission assuring the National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) that it will not partake in college player props, Connecticut sports betting laws are set to include the availability of placing bets on state college sports teams.

Since the beginning of the year, Charlie Baker, President of the NCAA, has addressed lawmakers across the US sports betting state to place a ban on college events due to harassment that is being faced by athletes.

File No. 271 in Connecticut

File No. 271 suggests an extensive revision to the way gambling operations are overseen. From the proposed amendment, wagers on the outcomes of games played by Connecticut’s collegiate sports teams, like Yale, UConn, and others, would now be allowed.

This will allow Connecticut sports fans to legally place bets on a variety of sports-related events, including

• Point Spread
• Total
• Moneyline (and other game prop betting markets)

However, all state-regulated online sportsbooks would still be unable to accept bets on college player props.

The regulation also forbids airing commercials in locations where the majority of participants or viewers are presumed to be younger than 21. Also, it is prohibited to market on websites like social media or other media that appeal to young individuals.

Having received approval from the Legislative Commissioners’ Office, File No. 271 is currently being reviewed further on the House Floor. This year, lawmakers from Connecticut have until May 8, the end of the General Assembly session, to reach a decision on File No. 271.

Motive Behind CT Sports Betting Law Overhaul

The University of Connecticut Huskies clinched back-to-back National Championships in the men’s 2023 and 2024 March Madness tournaments, while the women’s team from the university also reached the Final Four for the 23rd time in the history of the program.

Given the consistent success of UConn’s sports teams, there’s growing support across the state, and one could speculate that the proposed amendment could be driven by the profits that such tournaments could remit to the state.

Starting in fiscal year 2025, it’s estimated that college sports betting will contribute around $1 million in revenue each year.

CT Opposition Party

Like every other legislative proposal, there will likely be opposition, and for the amendment that will include the state college sports team, Gov. Ned Lamont stands to represent the resistance group.

“Gov. Ned Lamont is one of the UConn Huskies’ biggest fans, but he agrees with Connecticut’s Higher Education leaders that residents here should not be able to bet on UConn games,” the governor’s spokeswoman, Julia Bergman, said recently, according to NBC Connecticut.

Rep. Vincent Candelora also recently addressed the matter and suggested that the Constitution State should concentrate on strengthening its existing safeguards before implementing any new gambling laws.

At the time of this writing, there has been no public report on the NCAA’s opinion on this development; however, it is evident that the association stands to be against the amendment, unless within the areas that involve prohibiting gambling commercials targeted at persons younger than 21 years of age.

Currently, the states that the NCAA has been able to win over in its campaign against college player props include Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Vermont.