Daniel Harrop didn’t like it when Rhode Island lawmakers passed a bill to permit sports betting in the state. He didn’t like it because he claims placing a bet on a game, either in the casinos or online, violates Article 6, Section 22 of the state constitution, which mentions voter approval of gaming.
So the former Providence mayoral candidate sued. And lost.
Superior Court Judge Brian Stern sided with Governor Gina Raimondo’s administration, which argued that voters gave the go-ahead for sports betting when they approved table games at Twin River’s casino in Tiverton, according to The Providence Journal.
“The court finds that based on the plain language of the referenda questions and the definition of casino gaming … voters had ‘fair notice’ that they were broadly approving all casino gaming and any other game included within the definition of Class III gaming,” Stern wrote.
In other words, voter approval encompassed all state-operated casino gaming, including sports betting.
Harrop’s lawyer, Joseph Larisa Jr., was disappointed enough to say he will appeal to the state Supreme Court. The ruling also opens the door for an entire online casino without voter approval, Larisa said.
