Rhode Island on track to legalise sports betting before end of 2018

Rhode Island will join the growing number of USA states to have actioned legal sports betting, hopefully before the end of November.

This would make them the fifth state to legalise the act since the repeal of the federal ban on sports betting.

Rhode Island has been preparing towards this for some months now, especially making the budget friendly for the sports betting industry.

The state has planned to launch its sports betting during Thanksgiving, which fortunately coincides with college football rivalry week.

The Ocean State had initially scheduled October 1 for the launch but later decided to change it. Nonetheless, it will have to go live before the year-ends to meet the projected budget revenue.

• Learn more about all of the gambling laws in each state of the USA here

Where to bet in Rhode Island

Twin River Casino in Lincoln will be the first to take sports bets when the markets open. As per their arrangement, patrons will initially be allowed to place bets on the third floor, awaiting the betting room of the Wicked Good Restaurant to be completed.

Twin River Tiverton casino will start receiving sports bets after construction on their betting space is completed. They, however, expect to start taking bets in the first week of December as the NCAA football championship games commence.

At the initial stage, bets will be placed via person, before an estimated three months when a self-service kiosk is installed. Also, punters who love to bet via smartphone will need to wait for the next 15 weeks after the launch of the self-service kiosks.

This will, however, come with restrictions as mobile bettors can only bet when inside an approved casino; hence, the player cannot have access when outside the casino property.

The October budget, passed by the state, estimated gambling revenue to add $23.5 million to the state’s coffers. The target included revenue from sports betting, which was to be operationalised throughout October and November.

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Last August the state signed an agreement with IGT to run its betting operations. The CEO of IGT, Marco Sala, saw strong potentials in Rhode Islands gambling market, since May when he approached the state.

“Today, in the US, we provide a regulator-certified sports betting solution that is up and running at MGM’s casinos in Nevada,” he said.

“This solution is comprised of both land-based retail sports betting platform and the PlaySpot, our mobile solution.

“Ultimately, the opportunity will depend on how many states choose to allow it, how quickly they do so, and how the regulations will shape the offer.

“Having said that, we have a longstanding deep relationship with the US casino operators and state lotteries and have been actively engaged with them and government authorities to support shaping a safe and sustainable offer.”

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