There’s no denying that Connecticut is a gambling-friendly state. Home to two very well known and popular brick ‘n mortar casinos – Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun – Connecticut has become something of a gambling hub for the northeastern United States. Therefore, it was no big surprise when talks surfaced about bringing online gambling to the Nutmeg State. Nor was it surprising that the owners of the two aforementioned casinos – Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes – were both very much in support of green-lighting online casino gambling.

What was surprising, however, is that despite efforts in nearby State’s to pass online gambling regulations (and consequently becoming the first in the country to do so), Connecticut lawmakers are in no rush to legalize online gambling. In fact, according to the Attorney General’s Office interpretation, further legislation would be needed to legalize intra-state online gambling despite the Justice Department’s re-interpretation of the Wire Act back in December. “All the Justice Department opinion did was eliminate one layer of uncertaintly”, said Assistant Attorney General, Bob Clark in an interview with the Milford-Orange Bulletin Newspaper.

Clark did concede that that DOJ ruling does indeed make it possible for Connecticut to liberalize it’s current gambling laws, but only to the extent in which it complies with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Not sure if Clark has read the UIGEA, but such compliance might be a little difficult to obtain, considering how many irregularities are in the UIGEA.

If any legislation is to surface in Connecticut it wouldn’t be before May 9th, which is when the current legislative session will expire. At this point, it’s anybody’s guess whether there will be enough support and momentum to offer intrastate or interstate online casino gambling in Connecticut. One thing is for certain: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino interests will be pushing officials to get the ball rolling in the next legislative session.