Bill to legalize igaming in Rhode Island clears Senate
Amended legislation would allow for online slots and live dealer table games
Rhode Island has taken another step toward expanded online gaming after Senate lawmakers voted on June 8 in favor of a bill to legalize igaming.
The amended Senate Bill 948, which passed by a 30-4 margin, would legalize online slots and live-dealer table games under a joint venture between IGT and Bally’s Corp., which serve as the state’s gaming partners in concert with the Rhode Island Lottery.
Changes to the bill, which is headed to the House for consideration, include an increase in the minimum age to participate in icasino activities from 18 to 21 and the inclusion of responsible gambling language.
Other online casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and craps were removed from the bill. The revenue split was also amended, with the state receiving 61% of online slots revenue – up from 50% – and 15.5% of the win from live-dealer table games.
Dealers for the table games would be situated at Rhode Island’s two brick-and-mortar casinos, with the towns where the properties are located – Tiverton and Lincoln – splitting 1.45% of the revenue from slots and 1% from table games.
“This is a focused version of igaming that is ready for passage and implementation,” said Senate president and SB 948 sponsor Dominick Ruggerio.
“This igaming legislation is constitutional, is geared to mature users, contains education provisions for problem gamblers and preserves the revenue allocation percentages as they are currently in place.”
Rhode Island lawmakers are trying to succeed where others have failed – including in leading online markets like New York and Illinois – by introducing icasino offerings to their state’s online gaming mix.
If successful, Rhode Island would become the seventh state to legalize online casino, joining New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia.