Connecticut licensed casinos are easier to identify than in almost any other American state, because there are only two of them. FanDuel Casino and DraftKings Casino hold the state’s only online casino licences, and both got there through a tribal partnership rather than a commercial licensing round.
This page covers the licence itself: which body issues it, what an operator has to do to keep it, how the tribal compacts shape who can apply, and how to check that a site really holds one. If you are after the wider market picture, including revenue figures, game selection and payment methods, our guide to online casinos in Connecticut covers that ground instead.
The Department of Consumer Protection licenses online casinos in Connecticut, but it cannot licence an operator that has no tribal or lottery partner. Two master wagering licences cover casino games, one held by the Mohegan Tribe and one by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Every legal online casino in the state runs underneath one of them.
Which casinos are licensed in Connecticut?
Two online casinos hold a Connecticut licence: FanDuel Casino, operating under the Mohegan Tribe’s master wagering licence, and DraftKings Casino, operating under the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s. The Department of Consumer Protection issues the licences, but it cannot licence an operator without a tribal or lottery master licensee behind it. Fanatics holds a licence through the Connecticut Lottery for sports betting only, not casino games.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division is the licensing authority. It is not a dedicated gaming board of the kind Michigan or Pennsylvania created. Connecticut instead extended an existing consumer protection agency, which is why the Gaming Division sits alongside the department’s work on liquor permits, drug control and trade practices.
The DCP is not the only regulator with a say. Because both licensed casinos operate under tribal-state compacts governed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Commission and the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Commission hold their own regulatory authority over their respective operations.
In practice this means oversight runs on two tracks. The DCP handles state licensing, revenue reporting, advertising rules and consumer complaints. The tribal commissions handle regulation on their own territory under their own codes. A dispute can involve either or both, depending on what it concerns.
Connecticut uses a two-tier structure. The state grants a master wagering licence to an eligible entity, and that entity then contracts with a gambling company, which applies separately for an online gaming operator licence. The DCP will not licence an operator that has no master licensee behind it.
| Licence type | Who holds it | What it permits |
|---|---|---|
| Master wagering licence | Mohegan Tribe | Online casino games and sports wagering |
| Master wagering licence | Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation | Online casino games and sports wagering |
| Master wagering licence | Connecticut Lottery Corporation | Sports wagering and online lottery, not casino games |
| Online gaming operator licence | The gambling company, e.g. FanDuel or DraftKings | Running the platform on a master licensee’s behalf |
| Gaming service provider | Suppliers, studios and payment vendors | Supplying licensed operators |
An operator has to satisfy the DCP on several fronts before launch and continuously afterwards. Gaming servers must be submitted for approval. Geolocation has to confirm that every wager is placed inside Connecticut. Age and identity verification must establish that the player is at least 21. The platform has to connect to the statewide self-exclusion register so that an exclusion taken out once applies everywhere.
Financial obligations run monthly. Payments to the state are due by the fifteenth of the following month, and the amount is calculated on gross gaming revenue after a capped promotional deduction, now limited to 15 percent of win.
Licensing extends past the company to the people running it. Key employees and occupational licensees undergo criminal background checks, and the 2025 reform package added confidentiality provisions covering those checks along with stricter record-keeping requirements. The DCP has also tightened verification processes for on-site dealers and key personnel.
Connecticut’s licensed market is small enough that the alternative, an offshore site with a Curacao or Anjouan licence, is heavily advertised to residents. The two are not comparable products, and the difference shows up precisely when something goes wrong.
| Factor | Connecticut licensed | Offshore or unlicensed |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | CT Department of Consumer Protection | Offshore body with no Connecticut authority |
| If a withdrawal is refused | Complaint route through the DCP | No recourse a Connecticut resident can use |
| Self-exclusion | Statewide register, applies across all licensed sites | Site-level at best, often ignored |
| Game testing | Systems approved before launch | Varies, often unverifiable |
| Age verification | Mandatory, 21 and over | Frequently minimal |
| Legal status | Fully legal | Operating outside the state framework |
Dual-currency sweepstakes casinos are not merely unlicensed in Connecticut. Public Act 25-112 took effect on 1 October 2025 and made operating or promoting one a Class D felony, carrying up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. The only carve-out is for grocery chains running promotions tied to grocery sales with non-cash prizes.
Most operators left before the deadline. High 5 Games settled with the DCP for $1,440,000 over unlicensed operation. Any sweepstakes site still accepting Connecticut sign-ups is in breach of criminal law rather than working a grey area.
A licence is not only a permission for the operator. It is a set of obligations owed to the player, and most of them are invisible until you need them.
Connecticut runs one register rather than leaving exclusion to individual operators. Enrolling once covers both licensed online casinos, the tribal casino floors and lottery products. Players pick a term when they enrol, and it cannot be lifted early. That single-register design is one of the clearest practical advantages a licensed site holds over an offshore one, where an exclusion typically stops at the edge of that one brand.
The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling runs a confidential helpline and referral service for residents, funded in part through gaming revenue. The DCP maintains its own problem gambling resources as well. Support is free and does not require closing your accounts first. For free confidential advice, BeGambleAware is also available.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division. It is a consumer protection agency rather than a dedicated gaming board. The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot gaming commissions also hold regulatory authority over their own operations under the tribal-state compacts and the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Two online casinos. FanDuel Casino operates under the Mohegan Tribe’s master wagering licence, and DraftKings Casino operates under the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s. Fanatics holds a licence through the Connecticut Lottery Corporation but offers sports betting only, not casino games.
Only by partnering with an existing master wagering licensee, and both casino master licences are already in use. The Department of Consumer Protection cannot licence a standalone commercial operator, because the authority to offer online casino games flows from the tribal compacts. Opening the market further would require amending the compacts or Public Act 21-23 itself.
Start from the fact that only two brands qualify. If the site is not FanDuel Casino or DraftKings Casino, it is not licensed for online casino games in Connecticut. On a licensed site you should also see the master licensee named, a stated minimum age of 21, and Department of Consumer Protection licensing information. Crypto-only deposits are a reliable sign that a site sits outside the framework.
The Department of Consumer Protection can pursue enforcement, and its powers were expanded by the 2025 gambling reforms. High 5 Games settled for $1,440,000 over unlicensed operation. Sweepstakes casinos face a harder line still: since Public Act 25-112 took effect on 1 October 2025, operating or promoting one has been a Class D felony carrying up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
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