By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 01 May 2021
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
It was announced earlier this week by officials from the Connecticut Lottery that bids from sports betting operators have started to roll in. This comes after the state governor set the date of September 2021 for the launch of mobile sports betting across the state.
According to lottery officials, 15 Request for Qualification (RFQ) responses have been received as sports betting operators bid to provide the state with sports betting services. The RFQ was issued earlier in April by the lottery as it sought to invite sports betting operators with experience to register their interest.
Officials from the Connecticut Lottery Commission said that they have been very pleased with the range of responses received from operators who are keen to offer their services in the state.
Rob Simmelkjaer, chairman of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, said:
We are pleased to see significant interest from companies who would like to partner with the CLC to bring our online and retail sports betting offering to market.
He added that CLC staff and board members would soon begin the process of reviewing the qualifications of the operators who have submitted bids in order to choose the most suitable partners in what he described as an ‘important initiative for our state’.
Earlier this year, an agreement was reached between the state governor, Ned Lamont, and the leaders of the two tribes in the state, the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans. As a result of this agreement, it is expected that the lottery will be authorized to offer both online and retail sports betting across Connecticut through contracts with vendors and agents.
As part of the agreement, the lottery can operate 15 retail sports betting facilities, and can also operate a single online sports betting skin. However, lottery officials said that they were unable to release any further details at the moment because of confidentiality issues and the need for full legislation to be provided by the Connecticut General Assembly.
There is already speculation with regard to which of the well-known names will be among the ones that have placed bids to offer sports betting services in the state. It is thought that some familiar names likely to have placed bids are William Hill, Barstool, and BetMGM.
According to reports, the CLC’s aim is to find experienced and qualified sportsbook operators that can create entertaining and exciting retail facilities that have a great atmosphere, are commercially appealing, and offer a great experience.
The next step for lottery officials is to go through the various applications that have been received now that the deadline has passed. The responses are set to be reviewed over the course of the week, after which lottery officials will arrange video conference interviews with selected providers.
However, the CLC has confirmed that while it will be moving forward with reviewing the responses, no selections can be made with regard to hiring a partner until sports betting is officially legalized by the state legislature and the state governor.
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