ConnecticutSB 012352025 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING LOTTERY AND GAMING REGULATION.

Summary

To (1) prohibit lottery ticket resales and ticket courier services, (2) modify the Commissioner of Consumer Protection's disciplinary authority concerning certain gaming licensees, (3) require vendor and affiliate licensees to provide books and records, (4) define and redefine certain terms concerning gaming, (5) modify provisions concerning wagers on sporting events involving Connecticut intercollegiate teams, (6) restrict who may review certain criminal history records checks, (7) prohibit certain advertising, (8) authorize certain bets and wagers on boxing and mixed martial arts, (9) provide that certain persons conducting sweepstakes or promotional drawings shall not allow or facilitate participation in certain real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering, (10) provide that any person who engages in professional gambling shall be guilty of a class D felony, and (11) repeal a provision authorizing the commissioner to appoint a director to perform delegated functions.

general law

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

13 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 3 costs, 5 mixed.

Lottery retailers face illegal gambling penalties

Beginning October 1, 2025, lottery agents cannot keep unauthorized gambling devices, illegitimate lottery tickets, or illegal bookmaking equipment at retail facilities. They also cannot allow professional gambling there. A violation requires immediate license suspension and can bring a fine of up to $4,000 per violation. Agents must stop licensed activity and can request a hearing in writing within 15 days after receiving notice.

Lottery agents face charges with hardship relief

Beginning July 1, 2025, lottery agents missing settlement deadlines owe 10% of unpaid principal or $10, whichever is greater. After notice, simple interest adds 1.5% of unpaid principal for each month or partial month until payment. For accounts becoming delinquent on or after that date, agents can ask the lottery corporation’s president to reduce unpaid interest when that benefits the state. Agents generally must pay principal and penalties when applying, but undue hardship can qualify them for a payment plan of up to one year. Already-paid amounts cannot be refunded or credited, and breaking a payment plan bars another hardship waiver under this rule.

Clearer sports bet refunds and corrections

Beginning July 1, 2025, operators can void sports bets for cancellations, delays over 24 hours, venue changes, or a participant not competing. Other allowed reasons include a wagered-on act not occurring, fewer tournament participants, or a material tournament-phase change. Operators must promptly return voided bet funds to customers’ accounts. If you ask before the event, operators must correct or cancel bets with specified operator, platform, or retailer-entry errors. Retailers must post state-approved refund instructions wherever bets are placed, on notices at least 8.5 by 11 inches with 20-point type.

Lottery winners control publicity consent

Beginning October 1, 2025, the Connecticut Lottery Corporation needs prior written consent to publish winners’ names, addresses, or photos. This covers lottery winners, online and retail sports betting winners, and fantasy contest prize winners. The rule does not block disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The law replaces the prior process for requesting removal from a published winners list.

State review protects canceled sports bets

Beginning July 1, 2025, operators need written state approval to void sports bets outside the law’s listed exceptions. Requests must explain the bets, affected customers, reasons, and plans to contact customers; operators must supply any additional information requested. Operators had to submit cancellation and customer-fund controls by September 1, 2025, with state decisions due December 1, 2025. Approved controls must appear in house rules and clearly on platforms, requiring notice within 24 hours after state approval and prompt refunds. Operators must log every covered changed or voided bet, including the customer, reason, wager, market, event, dates, and other required information.

Unlicensed gaming sweepstakes face consumer enforcement

Beginning October 1, 2025, promoters need a state gaming license to run covered sweepstakes enabling real or simulated online casino gaming or sports betting. The restriction covers both conducting and promoting these sweepstakes or promotional drawings. Violations count as unfair or deceptive trade practices, allowing enforcement under the state’s consumer-protection law.

Qualified gaming applicants gain licensing options

Beginning October 1, 2025, the commissioner must issue vendor, affiliate, lottery sales agent, and occupational licenses to qualified applicants meeting statutory requirements. The law removes the separate express power to reject an application for good cause. Beginning January 1, 2026, the commissioner may accept third-party criminal checks for specified key-employee, live-game, and lottery-agent applicants, including agents’ persons in charge. Checks must use a multistate, multijurisdictional locator or similar validated nationwide database from a Fair Credit Reporting Act-compliant, Professional Background Screening Association-accredited agency. Acceptance remains optional, and the commissioner can require more screening.

Fight bets must follow gaming laws

Beginning June 24, 2025, bets on boxing or mixed martial arts results are allowed only within Connecticut’s statutory gaming framework. Bets outside that framework are not permitted.

Gaming businesses face stronger license oversight

Beginning October 1, 2025, the commissioner can require vendor and affiliate licensees to supply business records for compliance checks. After a hearing and for cause, the commissioner can deny, refuse renewal, limit, suspend, or revoke specified gaming licenses. These include vendor, affiliate, lottery sales agent, and occupational licenses. Grounds include rule violations, fraud, materially false information, specified financial-crime convictions or judgments, insolvency affecting lawful operation, and incomplete applications. Civil penalties can reach $2,500 per violation.

Gaming ad protections have limited exceptions

Beginning October 1, 2025, online casino games cannot use misleading words or images to encourage play or hide important facts. They cannot falsely suggest better winning chances than competitors’ games or from betting more. Online keno and lottery draw ads have an exception for state-approved features that increase winning chances. After an investigation, the state can order an illegal ad removed within 10 days; recipients have that period to request a hearing in writing. Without removal or a timely hearing request, fines can reach $1,000 daily; timely requests postpone fines pending a decision unless otherwise ordered or settled.

Live-game workers face licensing, gain privacy

Live-game employees without a key employee license must get a live-game employee license before starting work. The requirement is no longer limited to workers directly or substantially involved in operations affecting gaming integrity. Only authorized Department of Consumer Protection employees may review state and national criminal-history checks for these applications.

Lottery workers gain endorsements, face reporting

Beginning October 1, 2025, Class III and IV applicants must disclose which forms of gaming they will work on. This also covers lottery corporation employees holding those licenses on January 1, 2026. Approved endorsements allow online-game or retail sports betting work; lottery employees with active endorsed licenses avoid the applicable separate occupational or key employee license. Class III and IV licensees must report convictions within two business days after the conviction order or judgment. The corporation and affected workers must immediately report job-scope changes requiring another endorsement.

Lottery gains secure ticket delivery options

Beginning October 1, 2025, the lottery corporation can use delivery businesses without vendor licenses after state approval of a plan. Corporation employees must pack tickets on corporation premises under video surveillance, using tamper-evident packaging with no exterior lottery markings. Shipments must be tracked, signed for at delivery, and documented with required ticket, recipient, shipment, and carrier details. The corporation must keep records for at least three years and immediately report packages reported damaged, missing, or compromised.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

General Law Committee
Affiliation unavailable

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 241 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/25/2025

JUD Vote Tally Sheet-A (Joint Favorable)

Yes: 0 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/25/2025

JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable Substitute)

Yes: 37 • No: 0

House vote • 3/24/2025

House Roll Call Vote 300 AS AMENDED

Yes: 146 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/24/2025

GL Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable Substitute)

Yes: 22 • No: 0