Is sports betting legal in Rhode Island?
Yes, online and in person, at 18. The state runs it. A 2018 law puts sports wagering under the Rhode Island Lottery (the Division of Lotteries in the Department of Revenue), hosted by Bally's two casinos, with IGT as the platform vendor. Retail betting began November 26, 2018, and the Sportsbook Rhode Island app followed on September 4, 2019. A second app, from Bally's, can't launch before November 26, 2026.
Where you can bet
Sportsbook Rhode Island, run on IGT's PlaySports platform, is the only legal app as of September 2026. You have to be physically inside the state when you bet, and the app checks your location. In January 2026 the Lottery extended IGT's sports betting contract by two years, through November 2028.
On May 8, 2026 the Lottery tentatively awarded Bally's Corp. a five-year deal to run a second app. Only Bally's and Rush Street Interactive bid on the December 2025 request for qualifications, and DraftKings told Rhode Island Current it passed because of the commercial terms. Contract terms are still being negotiated, and the Lottery says the launch date can't be earlier than November 26, 2026, when IGT's exclusivity ends.
In person, you can bet at Bally's Lincoln Casino Resort (formerly Twin River) and Bally's Tiverton Casino.
College betting is allowed with limits. You can't bet on a college game played in Rhode Island or on any game involving a Rhode Island college team, unless it's part of a tournament of four or more teams. The tournament exception was added in June 2023.
There's no sports betting tax. State law splits revenue instead: 51% to the state, 32% to the platform vendor and 17% to the host casinos. Lincoln and Tiverton each get a flat $200,000 a year for hosting, up from $100,000 before July 2021. The Auditor General found that $18.6 million went to the general fund in fiscal 2025, against $19.2 million the year before.
How Rhode Island legalized sports betting
The constitution and the casino votes
Two constitutional provisions govern gambling here. Article 6, Section 15 bars lotteries except those the state runs or the General Assembly previously permitted. Article 6, Section 22, approved by voters on November 8, 1994, says an act expanding the types of gambling doesn't take effect until it passes a statewide referendum and a local one in the host town. Voters amended it on November 4, 2014 to cover changes in the locations of gambling too.
Both casinos went through those referenda. A 2011 law authorized "state-operated casino gaming" at Twin River in Lincoln, defined to include any Class III game the Lottery approves, and about 70% of statewide voters said yes on November 6, 2012, with Lincoln also approving. A similar 2012 question for Newport Grand passed statewide but lost in Newport, so it didn't take effect. In 2016 the General Assembly authorized a new casino in Tiverton, and about 55% of voters approved it on November 8, 2016. It's been open since September 2018.
The 2018 law and retail launch
After the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in Murphy v. NCAA on May 14, 2018, Gov. Gina Raimondo put sports betting in her budget. The law was enacted June 22, 2018 (P.L. 2018, ch. 47, art. 4, and ch. 70). It directs the state, through the Lottery, to "implement, operate, conduct, and control" sports wagering at the two casinos, and its definition of sports wagering includes "exchange wagering." There wasn't a new referendum, because the state's position was that voters had already approved casino gaming at both sites.
IGT was the only bidder for the vendor contract, with William Hill running daily operations. Vendor talks ran long, so the launch didn't make the October 1 target, and analysts cut the $23.5 million first-year revenue estimate by $12 million. Lincoln took the first bets on November 26, 2018, and Tiverton followed on December 3.
Mobile betting, 2019 and 2020
S 37 Substitute A, sponsored by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, was enacted March 25, 2019 (P.L. 2019, ch. 7). It lets the Lottery take online wagers only when they're accepted by a server located at one of the casinos, and says all such wagers "shall be deemed to be placed and accepted" there. That wording kept mobile betting tied to the two locations voters had approved. The 2019 law also required bettors to open accounts in person at a casino. The app went live at Lincoln on September 4, 2019, and several hundred people signed up. S 2919, enacted July 22, 2020 (P.L. 2020, ch. 67), dropped the in-person requirement.
Contracts and later changes, 2021 to 2026
H 5223 Substitute A, enacted June 11, 2021, extended IGT's lottery master contract through June 30, 2043, and left online sports wagering under a separate July 2019 amendment to IGT's sports betting agreement. H 6348 Substitute A, enacted June 20, 2023, authorized online casino games through Bally's starting March 1, 2024.
In 2025, Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone's bill for three to five vendors passed the Senate but never reached the House floor. A Lottery-commissioned Spectrum Gaming Group report dated May 1, 2025 recommended four to six new vendors. The Lottery drew eight responses to a summer 2025 request for information, then issued the December 2, 2025 request for one new vendor that Bally's won.
Ciccone's 2026 bill, SB 3118, passed the Senate in early June 2026. It would require four to six operators, raise the operators' share to 40.5%, and cut the state's share to 12% once it has collected the fiscal 2025 total of $18.6 million. Lottery Director Mark Furcolo called it "likely unconstitutional." We didn't find a House vote on it or on Rep. Matthew Dawson's companion bill, which the House Finance Committee held for further study on April 29, 2026.
Sports betting court cases in Rhode Island
Harrop v. Rhode Island Division of Lotteries
Daniel Harrop, a Republican activist, sued in Providence County Superior Court on May 1, 2019 (No. PC-2019-5273), arguing both sports betting laws needed voter approval under Article 6, Section 22. The court first dismissed for lack of standing. Harrop amended to add a losing bet he had placed on the Patriots at Tiverton, and on December 5, 2019 the court found he had standing.
On June 1, 2020, Justice Brian Stern denied Harrop summary judgment. He held that the 2012 and 2016 referenda approved "casino gaming," which includes sports wagering, and that the 2019 online law doesn't expand gambling locations because wagers are accepted by servers at the casinos. Harrop appealed (No. SU-2020-0210-A). The Rhode Island Supreme Court granted a motion to dismiss the appeal on December 9, 2022. We found no other suit challenging the 2018 or 2019 laws or the IGT contracts.
International Game Technology PLC v. Garland
IGT sued the Justice Department in the District of Rhode Island on November 23, 2021 (No. 1:21-cv-00463), seeking a declaration that the Wire Act doesn't reach its non-sports business. On September 15, 2022, Judge William E. Smith denied the government's motion to dismiss and granted IGT summary judgment, following the First Circuit's January 20, 2021 holding in New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen that the Act covers only wagers on sporting events or contests. Interstate sports bets remain covered, and Rhode Island law requires every online wager to be placed inside the state.
Tribal gaming
We found no tribal compact or tribal litigation over sports betting in Rhode Island. A September 30, 1996 federal law (Pub. L. 104-208, § 330) amended the 1978 Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act on how the Narragansett Indian Tribe's settlement lands are treated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Kalshi, Polymarket and the state
Kalshi sued first, at 12:03 p.m. on May 21, 2026: KalshiEX LLC v. Furcolo, No. 1:26-cv-00327-MSM-PAS, against the Lottery director, Attorney General Peter Neronha and Gaming and Athletics Administrator Christina Tobiasz. It argues the Commodity Exchange Act gives the CFTC exclusive jurisdiction over its contracts. Around 4 p.m., Neronha sued Kalshi and QCX LLC, which does business as Polymarket US, in Providence County Superior Court (No. PC-2026-02753). His complaint asks for a declaration that sports event contracts are "gambling" subject to the referendum requirement and are "casino gaming" and "online sports wagering" under Lottery control, plus a permanent injunction, restitution and disgorgement.
Polymarket removed the state case to federal court on May 22 with Kalshi's consent (No. 1:26-cv-00333). On May 26, Judge Mary S. McElroy treated Kalshi's motion as one for a preliminary injunction and entered an order recording the state's representation that it would take no further enforcement action beyond the two cases until they're decided, unless it gives notice. The CFTC and the United States moved to intervene on May 28, and the court granted that on June 26. Polymarket filed its own injunction motion on June 9, and the cases were consolidated on June 22. A coalition of tribal gaming groups, including the Indian Gaming Association and the National Congress of American Indians, was allowed to file an amicus brief on July 20.
McElroy heard argument on August 3, 2026 and took the motions under advisement. The parties have since filed supplemental authority, including the Ninth Circuit decisions on August 28. As of the September 25 docket, there was no ruling.
The First Circuit and the national split
The First Circuit, which covers Rhode Island, hasn't ruled on whether federal law preempts state gambling law for sports event contracts. The appeal pending there, Robinhood Derivatives, LLC v. Campbell (No. 26-1257, docketed March 23, 2026), challenges a Massachusetts ripeness dismissal. Massachusetts' own case against Kalshi is before its Supreme Judicial Court (SJC-13906), argued May 4, 2026. Neronha signed the multistate amicus briefs backing Massachusetts in that case and Nevada in the Ninth Circuit.
Elsewhere, the Third Circuit ruled for Kalshi against New Jersey on April 6, 2026 (KalshiEX v. Flaherty, No. 25-1922). New Jersey's petition is docketed at the Supreme Court as No. 26-299, and Kalshi's response is due November 9, 2026. The Ninth Circuit ruled for Nevada on August 28, 2026 (KalshiEX v. Assad, No. 25-7516). Neither ruling binds Rhode Island's federal court.
Prediction markets and daily fantasy
Kalshi and Polymarket sell sports contracts to Rhode Islanders without any agreement with the Lottery, and the state gets no share of their fees. Furcolo told state lawmakers on the joint lottery panel in February 2026 that regulators were examining whether prediction markets were cutting into sports betting revenue, and the Attorney General's office says Lottery bets fell 8% from 2024 to 2025. The litigation is covered in the court cases section above. Neither case names Novig, which Ludlow Exchange, LLC runs as a CFTC-designated contract market (since June 16, 2026); its eligibility page excludes only Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, and it charges no fee on pregame straight trades.
On daily fantasy, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin issued an opinion in February 2016 that paid contests may operate legally, since under the dominant-factor test they aren't a lottery under state law. He urged the General Assembly to regulate them. We found no fantasy contest statute in the General Laws.
Help with a gambling problem
The Rhode Island Problem Gambling Helpline, sponsored by the Lottery, is open 24 hours a day at 1-877-9GAMBLE (1-877-942-6253). For a treatment appointment, call Problem Gambling Services at 1-401-499-2472.
Sources
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2.4, state to conduct sports wagering
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-1, definitions (collegiate events, online sports wagering)
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-3.3, sports wagering regulation (under-18 ban)
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-5, allocation of sports wagering revenue
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-16, requirements for online sports wagering
P.L. 2019, ch. 7 (S 37 Sub A), online sports wagering, enacted March 25, 2019
P.L. 2020, ch. 67 (S 2919), remote account registration, enacted July 22, 2020
P.L. 2021, ch. 41 (H 5223 Sub A), IGT and Twin River contracts, enacted June 11, 2021
P.L. 2023, ch. 135 (H 6348 Sub A), iGaming, enacted June 20, 2023
P.L. 2023, ch. 288 (H 6313), collegiate tournament exception, enacted June 22, 2023
Harrop v. Rhode Island Division of Lotteries, No. PC-2019-5273 (R.I. Super. June 1, 2020)
Harrop v. Rhode Island Division of Lotteries, R.I. Supreme Court No. SU-2020-0210-A (docket)
International Game Technology PLC v. Garland, D.R.I. No. 1:21-cv-00463 (docket)
First Circuit opinion, New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen, No. 19-1835 (Jan. 20, 2021)
25 U.S.C. § 1708 (Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act, 1996 amendment note)
CBS Boston (AP): Sports betting begins in Rhode Island (November 2018)
Legal Sports Report: Twin River Tiverton sportsbook opens (Dec. 3, 2018)
CBS Boston (AP): Rhode Island launches mobile sports betting app (September 2019)
Rhode Island Current: Eight firms answer the Lottery's sportsbook RFI (Oct. 8, 2025)
Rhode Island Current: Lottery seeks one new app vendor; IGT extended (Jan. 7, 2026)
Rhode Island Current: Bally's picked to launch second online sportsbook (May 26, 2026)
Legal Sports Report: Rhode Island Senate passes SB 3118 (June 2026)
Attorney General Neronha sues Kalshi and Polymarket (May 21, 2026)
State of Rhode Island v. KalshiEX LLC, D.R.I. No. 1:26-cv-00333 (removed case docket)
CFTC motion to intervene in the Rhode Island case (May 28, 2026)
Rhode Island Current: Dueling lawsuits filed on prediction markets (May 21, 2026)
Robinhood Derivatives, LLC v. Campbell, First Circuit No. 26-1257 (docket)
Insurance Journal: Kalshi argues before the Massachusetts SJC (May 2026)
Multistate amicus brief, Commonwealth v. KalshiEX LLC, SJC-13906
Multistate amicus brief, Ninth Circuit Nos. 25-7187, 25-7516, 25-7831 (March 10, 2026)
KalshiEX, LLC v. Flaherty, Third Circuit No. 25-1922 (April 6, 2026)
KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, Ninth Circuit No. 25-7516 (Aug. 28, 2026)
Legal Sports Report: Rhode Island AG says daily fantasy sports are legal (Feb. 2016)