When the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team won their sixth national title last month, state residents had plenty of reasons to celebrate. But one thing they couldn’t do was actually bet on the outcome of those games with a regulated sports betting operator. That situation could change dramatically by the time the Huskies play for title number seven if a a group of Connecticut lawmakers get their way.
Earlier this week, lawmakers in the Connecticut House of Representatives introduced File No. 271, an addendum to the state’s sports betting rules that would allow residents to bet on college sports in certain situations. Under the terms of the bill, residents would be able to bet on local college teams, but only when they’re playing in a tournament. The bill, which is modeled on a similar bill that was passed in Massachusetts, shows incredible bravado and confidence in their local teams.
While file No. 271 would allow betting on individual games during tournament time, it would not allow for any kind of individual player props. College-level player props are under fire already in many states and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a national ban on them at some point anyways.
While the measure has plenty of support among Connecticut’s legions of Huskies fans, there’s one fan who isn’t on board with the new plan; Governor Ned Lamont. A spokesperson for the Governor explained his position in comments reported on by NBCCT recently saying, “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.”
A decision on the matter will be made by May 8.