HARTFORD, Conn. — For the first time in Connecticut, football fans can participate in sports betting on Super Bowl Sunday.
"There are over 500 markets in here to be wagered on for the Super Bowl itself all of the prop bets you can imagine," said Jeff Lowich, senior director of retail operations for FanDuel.
Just in time for the big day, the new Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook is ready to welcome people in to play.
"A lot of new faces, new customers will visit the location, it's kind of a different demographic than your typical casino demographic so you have a lot of younger faces coming in," Lowich said.
It's an exciting time, but for the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, it's been a busy one. The council says it is not for or against gambling but rather acts as a resource. They have a 24-hour hotline and an online chat and have seen a significant uptick in people looking for help since sports betting was legalized in our state.
"Our chat page on our webpage had just as many visitors in the month of January than we did all of last year," said Paul Tarbox, manager of public policy and communications for the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.
Gambling is now possible right from your smartphone.
"The fact that it's online where people can just kind of do it through lying in bed or at a bar, specifically with the ability to kind of make bets during the course of the game, it makes it a lot more tempting," Tarbox said.
With the big game coming up, there are ways you can participate in sports betting that can help keep it fun and not harmful.
"If you're going to choose to play, we kind of advocate to do so responsibly. you can do that through the apps themselves, or through just your own practices by you know, taking breaks, setting time and money limits," Tarbox said.
For more information on help and resources, visit the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling's website. You can also call (888) 789-7777 or text "CTGAMB" to 53342.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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