Rhode Island Sports Betting

On 22 June 2018, Gov. Gina Raimondo signed a sports betting bill into law that allowed two casinos in the state — Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln and its sister property, the newly opened Tiverton Hotel Casino in Tiverton — to offer single-game sports wagering, beginning November 2018. The cities of Lincoln and Tiverton received $100,000 in compensation for serving as the host communities for legal sports betting. The state receives 51% of revenue, with the vendor receiving 32% and the casino 17%.

In March 2019, Gov. Raimondo signed legislation to allow mobile sports wagering through Twin River Casino in Lincoln and Tiverton Casino Hotel. The legislation (2019-S 0037A, 2019-H 5241) enabled the creation of an app consumers can use to access the sports gaming offerings at the casinos from anywhere within the parameters of the state of Rhode Island.

In September 2019, just in time for the start of the NFL season, Rhode Island launched mobile sports betting that was accessible from the two Twin River properties.

In March 2025, Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and three co-sponsors introduced SB 748, and Rep. Matthew Dawson introduced companion legislation H 6048, both seeking to end IGT's exclusive hold on online sports betting by requiring the Rhode Island Lottery to open a competitive licensing process for between two and five new sportsbook vendors by July 1, 2026. The Senate passed SB 748 by a 30-3 vote on June 4, 2025; H 6048 was held for further study in the House Finance Committee and never advanced. SB 748 died in the House before the June 21, 2025 session close with no floor vote.

Following the legislative failure, the Rhode Island Lottery Commission conducted an administrative process to solicit a second operator. In October 2025, the Lottery issued a Request for Information; eight firms responded, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Bally's, Fanatics, Kambi, OpenBet, and IGT. In December 2025, the Lottery issued a formal Request for Qualifications. On May 26, 2026, the Rhode Island Lottery selected Bally's Corporation as the state's second licensed online sportsbook operator, with Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers) the only other bidder. Bally's Sportsbook (Bally Bet) is contracted to launch no earlier than November 26, 2026, at which point Rhode Island will have two online sportsbooks for the first time since legal wagering began in 2019.

In January 2026, IGT announced a two-year contract extension with the Rhode Island Lottery through at least November 2028, ensuring that the incumbent "Sportsbook Rhode Island" app continues operating alongside the new Bally Bet platform.