• Rhode Island becomes the first New England state to approve of online sports wagering.
  • Mobile sports betting platforms will be offered by both Twin River casino locations.
  • Anyone using the apps will have to be physically within the borders of RI.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With the wide popularity of in-person Rhode Island sports betting, many assumed that this type of gaming would expand to be online. Earlier this week, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo did just that by signing a bill to officially legalize mobile sports betting.

The bill, RI S 37 was originally introduced by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello. The bill allows both Twin River casino locations to create their own mobile betting apps that could be used anywhere in the state.

However, in order to register for the app, you must do so in-person at one of the Twin River locations. This is to ensure that those using the app are at least 21 years old.

The same tax rate will be set for mobile sports betting as it is for brick-and-mortar locations. As of now, that rate is 51 percent of all the revenue generated by the activity.

The signing was expected due in large part to Governor Raimondo including online sports betting in her 2019 budget proposal. The budget included a 3 million dollar boost from online legal sports betting and a total of 30 million generated by the industry as a whole.

Whether or not the state will meet that amount is questionable as there is no definitive timetable for when the Twin River locations will offer a mobile betting platform to the public. The state lottery is estimating to have something up and running by this upcoming November.

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