Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo last week signed a bill legalizing mobile sports betting. The state had been the only New England state to have sports betting. It now its “mobile” to that description.
Right now bettors need to place bets in person at one of the state’s two casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton.
Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello were both enthusiastic proponents of the bill. Gaming is the state’s third largest source of governmental revenue.
Ruggerio commented, “Expanding to mobile gaming would provide a convenient option for those wishing to enjoy this form of entertainment, and open up the economic benefits beyond the walls of Twin River.” He added, “I can envision a group of friends from out of state spending an evening out in a local establishment where they can both watch the game and place a wager.”
Twin River is authorized to create an app to assist in making wagers. Bettors must be within the boundaries of the state to place their bets.
The governor expects to get $3 million in the upcoming fiscal year from mobile betting, even though the app is not expected to be ready until November.
Rhode Island has moved quickly to lock in its position as the first state in the region to offer sports betting after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban against it in May. The first sports book wagers were placed the day after Thanksgiving last year. It was first introduced at Twin River Lincoln and a few weeks later at Twin River Tiverton.
According to a spokesman for Twin River, “In addition to wagering in the Sportsbook Bar & Grill at Twin River in Lincoln, at other terminals throughout the casino floors at both Rhode Island venues, and most recently, at self-service kiosks, our customers can opt to do so from the convenience of a mobile app.”
Twin River added its 17 self-service kiosks at Lincoln and five at Tiverton to reduce the time spent standing in the ticket line. The management wanted to add them in time for the March Madness tournament. Customers can find them scattered throughout the casino floor.
The Twin River Tiverton almost literally sits on the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. So it beckons to the Bay State with sports betting that that state does not yet offer.
