Guide to Connecticut Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

The gambling laws in Connecticut are currently quite restrictive when compared to many other US states. There are only a few limited forms of land-based gambling residents can enjoy in Connecticut, these being a state lottery, tribal land-based casinos, pari-mutuel betting and bingo.

In this page we will discuss the legality of all popular forms of gambling in CR and the legal Connecticut gambling age for each form of gaming – all of which are set out in the table below. We will also give unique insight current legality of newer forms of gambling and offer up to the date information on any future law changes that could be on the horizon for Connecticut.

In the table above the legal gambling ages for each form of legalized gambling in Connecticut are listed. The minimum age to play varies from 18 for more established forms of legalized gambling being pari-mutuel and the state lottery, whereas residents need to be 21 to participate in any casino games. If there isn’t an age listed underneath a form of gambling then this form of gambling is either illegal or yet to be legalized.

In the sections below we will go into more detail regarding the current legality in Connecticut of each form of popular gambling as well as outlining the legal gambling age, as well as discussing whether there are any legislative changes on the horizon for the particular type of gambling.

Casino Age in Connecticut

As early as 1986 land-based casino gambling was legalized in Connecticut. The two casinos operating in Connecticut are located on tribal lands and are run by local tribes under the purview of federal Indian law. The Casino Age in Connecticut is 21, meaning only individuals above the age of 21 can gamble at the two casinos.

These two casinos operate under compacts between the Indian tribes and Connecticut state that offer exclusivity over casino gambling games to the tribes. In June 2017 the governor passed a bill to allow local tribes to open a commercial casino that would operate outside of the federal Indian laws, which could see the land-based casino landscape open up.

The legal Connecticut gambling age for entering casinos is likely set to 21 as it is the same age as the legal drinking age in the US. As most land-based casinos serve alcohol onsite they are then limited to who they can have on the premises and it makes sense for the legal casino age to mirror the legal drinking age.

What are The Casinos In Connecticut that Accept 18 Year Olds?

Unfortunately for 18 year olds, there are no casinos in Connecticut that allow entry for those 18 and older. As mentioned already on this page the age limit for both casinos in Connecticut is 21. The age limit being set to 21 mirrors a similar approach by other states to keep the legal entry age to casinos to be the same as the legal drinking age.

18 year olds should not be disheartened though, they are still able to participate in other forms of gambling in Connecticut including the state lottery and pari-mutuel betting. Further, if they do wish to gamble at a land-based casino they could travel to California or Nevada where 18 year olds are legally allowed to gamble at casinos.

For those who are over the age of 21 and want to gamble at a land-based casino we have listed the full addresses of the two tribal casinos operating in Connecticut below.

Sports Betting In Connecticut

Sports betting in Connecticut has become a much debated topic amongst the state legislature and local tribes over the past few years. Sports betting is currently illegal in Connecticut but there have been legislative moves and a lot of public support in wanting to make it legal, with the first moves towards legality being instigated in 2017.

The reason sports betting is yet to achieve legal status in the Constitution State is that there are continual debates between the state and local tribes as to whether the tribes have exclusivity over sports betting. Local tribes believe that sports betting is a form of casino gambling, over which they have exclusivity according to the compacts that have signed with Connecticut state. The state however does not consider sports betting to be including within the definition of casino gambling.

As recently as 2020, Connecticut state and tribal casinos are still at a stale mate on legalizing sports betting. Tribal casinos still want exclusivity on sports betting, whereas the state would rather sports betting be operated by the state lottery, off-site betting operators and tribal casinos. The rationale for the state wanting to open up sports betting to several operators is that it allows the state to garner more income from the taxes generated.

One area of sports gambling that is legal in Connecticut is pari-mutuel betting on horse and greyhound races. Those wanting to place bets on horse racing or greyhound races in Connecticut can do so at any of the states off-track betting operators or at either of the states two casinos, but individuals must be over 18 years of age to place bets as the legal betting age for pari-mutuel betting is 18. There is currently no way to place online pari-mutuel wagers as online gambling is not yet legalized in Connecticut.

Connecticut Online Gambling Age

Online gambling within Connecticut is currently illegal. While there have been moves in recent years to attempt legalize sports betting and online sports betting including Daily Fantasy Sports these moves have been stymied by the two local tribal casino operators and the discussion they are involved with regarding exclusivity. Until there is a consensus reached between the tribes and Connecticut state there will be no further progress made on legalizing online gambling and defining the legal online gambling age.

Online gambling is still a recent development in modern gambling and only three states across the US have legalized it. While Connecticut is not one of those three states, there are still other formats of gambling residents can get involved with including land-based casino gambling, for a list of all of the legalized forms of gambling refer to our Connecticut gambling ages table at the top of the page.

While some Connecticut residents might wish to attempt to gamble with offshore casino gambling websites, they should be warned that these websites are not licensed or regulated in Connecticut or the US and therefore they will not be covered by consumer protection laws. Therefore, if any Connecticut resident is hellbent on gambling on an online casino we would suggest taking a trip to Nevada, California or New Jersey where online casinos are legal.

Poker Gambling Ages

Land-based poker games are legal and covered by the tribal compacts signed by local tribes and Connecticut state. This means however that poker games can only be played within the two tribal casinos and players are limited to those who are over the age of 21.

As with all forms of online gambling, online poker is currently illegal in Connecticut. However, should an agreement ever be reached between the local tribes and Connecticut regarding exclusivity, then hopefully online poker games will be ushered into legality along with all other forms of online gambling.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Unlike many other states in the US who have allowed Daily Fantasy Sports to languish in a grey area of legality, Connecticut made a definitive call as to its legality in 2017 and legislation was passed that legalized Daily Fantasy Sports. The legislation stipulates that players must be 18 years old to play any form of Daily Fantasy Sports.

Connecticut was easily able to legislate Daily Fantasy Sports legality as the state legislature defined the game as a game of skill rather than a game of chance, meaning that Daily Fantasy Sports doesn’t sit within the traditional legal definition of gambling. Through legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports the Connecticut state was also able to define and apply definitive tax rates to the Daily Fantasy Sports operators as well as any players winnings.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Connecticut

Connecticut has a long history with state lottery. A state lottery was first introduced to the Constitution State in 1972, in the many decades since it has raised billions of dollars have been raised for local charities and non-profits. The legal age to play lottery is 18 in Connecticut, which is in line with the majority of all other states.

Connecticut’s state lottery is run by CT Lottery, and it offers a wide range of lottery games for residents to get involved with including bingo, powerball, mega millions, keno, scratch cards and more.

In 2011 CT Lottery introduced a new website along with a mobile app that allows players to check results and take advantage of additional promotions and special offers. This move towards digitizing the lottery format was seen by many as a move in the right direction towards offering an online lottery, but an online lottery has not yet been legalized in Connecticut. However, as with sports betting and online gambling as a whole online lottery is also tied up in the ongoing discussion between the state and local tribes – until this discussion is resolved there will be no further moves toward an online lottery.

Connecticut Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Gambling within Connecticut is governed by state codes 12.557 and 53.288a in which gambling is defined as ‘risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device including the playing of casino gambling game…, but does not include: legal contests of skill, speed, strength or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries’. All legal forms of gambling are specifically legislated for within the states legislature allowing its exclusion from the current Connecticut criminal code.

The current market for gambling within Connecticut brings in around $3.71 billion and supports almost 25,000 jobs. However, the gambling market in Connecticut has been on the decline over the past 10 years due to an increased legality of gambling in neighboring states which has encroached on Connecticut’s market share.

Connecticut does apply gambling taxes to certain forms of legalized gambling. Winnings from other froms of gambling that do not have a legislated tax rate form part of an individual’s personal income and are then taxed at each individual’s personal income tax rate. The legislation for Daily Fantasy Sports sets the tax rate for any players winnings at 10%, while the state lottery applies a federal tax of 24% on all winnings over $5,000 alongside a state tax of 6.4%.

The current state of gambling in Connecticut allows for many forms of traditional land-based gambling including casinos, pari-mutuel gambling and a state lottery. These legalized forms of gambling are great for those who enjoy the in-person gambling experience, but where Connecticut is currently missing a trick is the current limitations on online gambling.

Currently, Daily Fantasy Sports is the only legalized form of online gambling available in Connecticut. There have been many attempts to legalize further forms of online gambling as alongside sports betting in Connecticut, however discussions are continually stalled by the fact that the state and local tribes are unable to reach an agreement as to whether these new forms of gambling fit within the exclusivity clause included in the compacts signed between the two.

In order for there to be any movement on the deadlock between local tribes and state one of the two parties will have to concede something. Local tribes maintain that they have complete exclusivity over all forms of casino gambling which they believe includes sports betting, in contrast the state does not think that sports betting is included within the tribes exclusivity clauses. Sadly, until an agreement is reached between the two disagreeing parties no new forms of gambling will be made legal within Connecticut.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided a good overview of the legal gambling ages in Connecticut and current forms of legalized gambling within Connecticut. If you have any outstanding questions we have provided answers to the most commonly asked questions below. You can also head to our homepage to check out the gambling ages by state across the US.