Among a raring countdown towards the Belmont Stakes Saturday, when California Chrome may be the first Triple Crown champion since 1978, Connecticut’s only entity licensed to simply accept online wagers is drawing focus on legal alerts the lawyer general sent recently to the would-be rivals.

Sportech Venues works 15 off-track-betting and sports bars round the condition and is the owner of MyWinners.com. It’s the only website legally permitted through the condition to provide pari-mutuel online wagers, that is someone pooling their wagers. In exchange, Connecticut will get 3.five percent in taxes on individuals wagers.

They are driving home the purpose, Sportech Venues released a release Friday in front of the Belmont Stakes stating that the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and Attorney General George Jepsen lately sent cease-and-desist letters to out-of-condition online shops that are not licensed to consider wagers in Connecticut in order to take wagers from Connecticut citizens.

“Not one other website is controlled here or pays the tax the condition ought to be receiving,” Ted Taylor, leader of Sportech Venues, stated inside a statement. “Our procedures are carefully supervised through the Department of Consumer Protection, therefore making certain the greatest standards of player protection have established yourself for local citizens.”

On May 20, Jepsen and Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein signed an application letter delivered to 28 gambling online companies demanding they stop marketing their service in Connecticut and accepting wagers from condition citizens.

Rubenstein stated it had been coincidental the letter was sent only 72 hours following the Preakness, when California Chrome won the 2nd of two major equine-racing occasions in the usa this season and hang up the potential of a Triple Crown win in the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N.Y. The Kentucky Derby may be the first race within the series.

“This is an problem which has come onto our radar screen,” Rubenstein stated. “In regards to a year approximately ago, we approved our licensee to complete Internet. Therefore we began thinking, ‘Well, what’s going on using the Internet?’ Also it required us a bit to make certain i was correct within our analysis and who all of the gamers were.”

Authorities say some companies were marketing to clients in Connecticut plus some were accepting wagers from Connecticut citizens.

The condition sent exactly the same cease-and-desist letter to any or all the unlicensed gambling organizations at the same time. It’s an accumulation of companies from Kentucky, North Dakota, Florida, Ohio and elsewhere. The letters warn, “you have to immediately cease and desist from accepting wagers placed from inside the Condition of Connecticut …”

Rubenstein stated some companies responded they wouldn’t accept any wagers. Others had questions regarding Connecticut laws and regulations, plus some stated they’re evaluating an order and they’ll respond soon.

Meanwhile, the mind of Sportech Venues is satisfied to oblige anybody who would like to convey a wager around the brown-and-whitened colt using the Horatio Alger winning streak.

However, plenty of horses have won both Kentucky Derby and also the Preakness simply to are unsuccessful at, or withdraw from, the Belmont Stakes. Six occasions in eight years from 1997 to 2004, horses won the very first two races and never the 3rd. Exactly the same happened in 2008 and 2012.

Previously 3 years, the Belmont Stakes has produced between $2.4 million and $2.six million in wagers at Connecticut off-track betting shops, based on Sportech Venues.

“2013 may be the only year which includes online, once we just released the MyWinners.com online wagering yesterday Belmont Stakes this past year,” stated Sportech Venues Director of promoting, Paul Dionne. “The figures for online wagering were minimal at $8K gambled on Belmont Stakes day.”