Connecticut Online Casino and Sports Betting Numbers Increase in August

A strong summer for online gambling in Connecticut continued in August.

The online gambling handle (amount wagered) in Connecticut increased 20.5% over July, the fifth time in six months that the handle increased compared to the month before.

The revenue also increased but not as much, growing 6.4% from July to August.

Sports betting handle and revenue also went up in August compared to the July sports betting revenue in Connecticut report.

The online casino handle for August was $851,911,027, an increase of more than $145 million from the $706.7 million in July.

Popular gaming options such as online roulette, blackjack and poker have kept the momentum going for Connecticut online operators.

About $449.5 million in handle came from the Mashantucket-Pequot Tribe, then came Mohegan Digital at $$398.9 million. Mobile wagers made on reservations accounted for about $3.5 million combined in handle.

The total taxable gaming revenue from online gaming was $17,726,085 for August, up 6.4% from July ($16,655,426). The state revenue share rose by the same percentage, from almost $3 million to $3.19 million, according to figures from the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection.

Connecticut is one of six states offering the best US online casinos. The Nutmeg State was the most recent market to launch, beginning in October 2021. The other states that have legal, regulated iGaming are Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.

Those states plus Nevada have online poker.

August was the first full month with the Evolution Gaming’s live studio in Fairfield. That facility launched on July 18 with access to DraftKings Casino and FanDuel Casino games.

Last month ended a streak of four consecutive months with decline in sports betting handle. The total sports betting handle last month was $80,037,045, up 2.2% from $78.3 million in July.

The mobile sports betting component was almost identical – rising 0.1% from $72.94 million in July to just more than $73 million.

One interesting development was that retail sports betting handle rose 30.5% in August to just over $7 million, from the $5.38 million in July. Perhaps the Connecticut Sun’s WNBA playoff run had something to do with drawing more wagering at physical sportsbooks. The Sun went to the WNBA Finals before losing the best-of-five series 3-1 to Las Vegas, with the Aces clinching Sunday in Game 4.

The Sun plays its home games at the Mohegan Sun Arena, inside the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville.

The total taxable gaming revenue for sports betting in August was $8,386,361, with $7,407,202 coming online, up 34.2% from $6.25 million in July. The state tax revenue was just over $1.15 million in August.