- Following Governor McKee’s signing of two bills, Rhode Island becomes the seventh US state to legalize online casino gaming.
- Bally’s Corporation will hold a monopoly on online gaming in Rhode Island, extending its existing dominance in sports betting.
- The launch of online casino gaming is scheduled for March 2024, with the potential for an earlier start.
- Rhode Island’s tax rates on slots will be the highest in the nation, set at 61%, while table games will be taxed at 15.5%.
- The legislation also allows Rhode Island to potentially join a multi-state gaming compact for poker, expanding the state’s online gaming offerings.
It’s official: Rhode Island will become the seventh US state with legal online casino gaming.
Last week, Democratic Governor Daniel McKee signed two identical bills, SB 948 and HB 6348, into law. Both authorize online casino gaming and, as a bonus, multi-state online poker.
“The time has come for us to take this step and be competitive with our neighbors.”
Under both bills, Bally’s Corporation will hold a monopoly on igaming in the state. The Providence-based company already holds a monopoly on online sports betting — it has been accepting wagers through a contract with the state lottery since September 2019 under the SportsBook Rhode Island brand.
Bally’s owns and operates the only two land-based casinos in Rhode Island: Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort and Bally’s Tiverton Casino & Hotel.
Bills Call for March 2024 Launch, But Earlier Start Possible
The two bills call for launching online casino gaming on March 1, 2024, but it’s possible a launch could come earlier. When the vertical launches, Rhode Island will join neighboring Connecticut and five other states with legal online casinos — Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
“This legislation provides an added convenience to Rhode Islanders who would like to play the existing table games offered at Twin River via their mobile devices,” Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D-North Providence), the primary sponsor of SB 948, said in a joint statement with Rep. Gregory Constantino (D-Lincoln) on Thursday.
