Rhode Island online wagering bill poised become law
Mobile wagering in Rhode Island is awaiting approval from Governor Gina Raimondo to come into law, after the state’s House of Representatives passed a bill already approved by the Senate.
S37, introduced in January by Senate president Dominick Ruggerio and passed by the Senate in February, allows the Twin River casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton to launch online and mobile sports betting.
The casinos, currently the only places permitted to offer land-based betting in Rhode Island, must only offer the online services to customers that have registered for an account at the venue. They must also use geolocation technology to verify the players are betting within the state’s borders.
As with land-based wagering, 51% of sports betting revenue will be paid to the state, with a further 32% going to the authorised sports wagering vendor, and 17% going to the host facility. Land-based wagering in the state is powered by William Hill and International Game Technology (IGT), which paired up to secure the contract in August 2018.
The state legalised land-based wagering in June 2018, and launched betting at the Twin River casinos on November 26. For the first full month of legal wagering, in January 2019, revenue amounted to $957,900 (£729,150/€847,810), from handle of $13m.
Image: Morrow Long
