Connecticut Considering Change to Sports Betting Bill to Allow Wagering on UConn

The UConn Huskies won their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament Championship earlier this month. The win led to celebrations across Connecticut and a flurry of action in the state legislature. 

Lawmakers in the state have begun pushing for a couple of initiatives in response to UConn’s impressive accomplishment. The first involves securing funds to upgrade the school’s arena, but the other would result in a massive change to the state’s sports betting law. 

Legislatures are beginning an effort to update their sports betting laws to allow wagering on UConn athletics. The state initially banned betting on all in-state college teams, but the recent success of the men's and women's programs has increased demand for a change. 

The change would only allow for team bets, meaning controversial college player props would remain illegal. However, opponents of the proposed change believe it would still have a negative impact on college athletes. 

“Gov. Ned Lamont is one of the UConn Huskies' biggest fans, but he agrees with Connecticut's Higher Education leaders that residents here should not be able to bet on UConn games,” Spokeswoman Julia Bergman told NBC.

College Sports Betting Causing Controversy Nationwide

While that change to Connecticut’s sports betting law has some strong support, many fear the move would come far too early. Over the last year, we have seen major betting scandals rock the college sports world and a spike in verbal abuse toward players. While some of that can be blamed on player prop bets, it remains an issue with states with any form of wagering on college sports. 

Early opponents of the proposed sports betting change have said waiting would be better. The NCAA and several states have begun making changes to college sports betting rules, but it's too early to tell what impact they will have. Waiting even a year could give Connecticut the guardrails needed for a smooth and safe expansion of the industry.