Online Gambling in Connecticut

Connecticut bettors rejoice!

After a lengthy wait, residents and visitors in the state of Connecticut are finally allowed to take part in the online gambling craze sweeping the nation.

Both online casinos and online sports betting have finally been approved by the Connecticut State Government.

The legislation was signed-off by CT Governor Ned Lamont in May 2021, and online gambling officially went live on October 19th, 2021, just in time for week 7 of the NFL.

Unfortunately, the number of pro sports teams to have made Connecticut their home amounts to a grand total of zero. It’s not all about the major leagues though as is evident with the support for the Connecticut Huskies who represent the University of Connecticut across a variety of sports.

Being the most successful, it’s the football and basketball sides that claim most of the support amongst the 3.5 million residents in the state.

The Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team of the University of Connecticut are always within a shot of winning the big prizes: the Big East and NCAA title.

Historically this team has produced some of NBA’s biggest names including Rudy Gay, Ray Allen and Emeka Okafor. This is also true of the women’s team who are arguably more successful than their male counterparts.

As one of the most prestigious universities in the entire US, Connecticut also boasts a successful university football team who play in the NCAA and have amassed a healthy collection of conference titles through the years.

Due to the popularity of college sports in CT, any legislation going forwards is almost guaranteed to include a provision for wagering on collegiate game and events.

The potential for players of college teams - not as financially privileged as those in the pro leagues - to have their heads turned by the idea of matchfixing, has prompted some states to forbid all betting on college sports. However, due to the popularity of the Huskies in particular, this will not be the case in Connecticut.

- Moneyline (ML)

For this straightforward wager, you’ll find two sets of odds that refer to the chances of each team winning the game. The odds are determined by the bookie who will consider a number of factors including form, league position, availability of players, weather and home advantage.

Typical wager:

Team A: -300

Team B: +240

Above is an example of a how a ML tends to be listed. Here, bettors of Team A are required to put up $30 to win $10.

As you can see with the potential winnings, Team A are the favourites and expected to win. Advanced bettors would ensure of a significant return by staking a sizeable sum initially.

As underdogs, Team B brings the possibility of a better payout - risking $10 wins $24 in this instance. Backing the team not expected to win requires less of an investment to win big but of course, they’ve been priced as the underdog for a reason!

Not so common in the NCAA but if you take your betting onto the NBA, you will come across instances when top of the league plays bottom where the odds appear excessive.

Extreme wager:

Team C: +600

Team D: -850

The ML odds here show Team D as the overwhelming favourites so much so that you need to lay $850 to collect $100 in profit ($950 all together with stake returned). On the flip side a wager of $100 on Team D brings home winnings of $600.

- Point spread

NBA games can be high scoring affairs and the same is true of games at college level too. As a result, bookmakers apply a spread to level out the chances of the two teams winning. For the purpose of the bet, the team expected to win gives points to the team expected to lose.

If we take a classic NBA match-up, say the Celtics vs. the Knicks, as an example, the majority of money will go the way of the Celtics, whose tag as favorites will be reflected in the odds.

A point spread of +10 points on the Celtics means they have to win by 11 points or more to ‘cover the spread’. A winning margin of nine points or less would result in the bet being lost, while if the difference between the two is bang on 10 points, the bet is deemed a push/tie and your stake is returned.

A point spread wager allows for better value to be found in a game which may not be so appealing initially.

- Totals (Overs/Unders)

In terms of popularity, a totals wager is second only to the point spread when betting on basketball.

All to do here is call the combined score of the two teams playing.

Once the bookmaker has set the number based on the qualities and history of the teams, the bettor needs to predict whether the game’s total points score will be Over the line, or whether the total score will finish Under the line set.

Let’s say the line is 189 points. Punters to have wagered on ‘Over’ will win if the total amount of points scored is 190 or more. Those who backed ‘Under’ will be successful if the total score stands at 188 or less. In the event of the total score equaling 189 points, the wager becomes a push/tie where your stake is returned.