Rhode Island Sports Betting

Online sports betting and retail sportsbooks are legal in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island lottery operates retail sportsbooks at the state’s two casinos and offers statewide mobile betting through Sportsbook Rhode Island.

Rhode Island sports betting rules originally required fans to visit a casino in-person to register for a mobile betting account, but lawmakers passed additional legislation in 2020 to end the in-person registration requirement. Now, customers 18 or older may complete the registration from anywhere within state lines.

Online horse racing betting, daily fantasy sports, and online casinos are also permitted in Rhode Island. The state has never passed legislation to formally legalize online horse racing betting or DFS, but operators in both industries operate openly in Rhode Island and have never been asked to cease operations.

Legal Rhode Island Betting Sites

Each of the following RI sports betting sites is permitted to offer real money wagers to state residents. Legal online and mobile betting options in Rhode Island include a lottery-run sports betting site and its associated mobile app, fantasy sports sites and horse racing betting.

TwinSpires$200 Deposit BonusTwinSpires Offer Code: BET200Get Bonus
AmWager$150 Deposit BonusAmWager Promo Code: BUSA150Get Bonus
DRF Bets$200 Deposit BonusDRFBets Promo Code: STAKESGet Bonus

21+ and present in Rhode Island. Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, call the problem Gambling Helpline, 1-877-9GAMBLE, sponsored by the Rhode Island Lottery. Available 24 hours a day to listen, to help, and provide information.

Rhode Island Sports Betting Apps

Online sports betting is legal in Rhode Island due to legislation signed into law by Governor Raimondo in March 2019.

The Rhode Island Lottery is partnered with IGT and William Hill to offer online betting through one state-authorized provider:

  • Sportsbook RI is the only online sportsbook that is legal and regulated in Rhode Island.

Sports fans 18 or older and located within state lines may register for an account by visiting SportsBetRI.com or downloading the app for iOS or Android.

Customers may now register remotely from anywhere inside Rhode Island and do not need to be residents to participate. The law previously required customers to visit a Rhode Island casino in order to complete registration in person, but the 2020 coronavirus pandemic prompted lawmakers to pass SB 2919 and HB 8097 that ended the in-person registration requirement.

Rhode Island Sports Betting Bonuses and Promo Codes

Rhode Island is not a hotbed for sports betting bonuses and promotions. The decision to give the Rhode Island Lottery a monopoly over sports betting has predictably resulted in a less consumer-friendly landscape than other states where competition among providers is fierce.

However, that does not mean bettors intent on building bankrolls and claiming bonus funds must forgo sports betting bonuses entirely. There are other options well within reach of anyone in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Bonuses Near the Connecticut Border

Just across the Connecticut border are three legal online sportsbooks, each with a unique welcome bonus. Bettors can download CT betting apps and register accounts from within Rhode Island, and then claim each of the following sportsbook’s welcome bonus the next time they’re in Connecticut:

Online SportsbookPromo CodeWelcome Bonus
FanDuel Connecticut Promo CodeN/ABet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets
DraftKings Connecticut Promo CodeN/ANo Sweat Bet up to $1,000

Fantasy Predictions Bonuses from Anywhere in RI

Rhode Island bettors can also turn to predictions-style fantasy sites that offer sizable welcome bonuses and an experience similar to full-fledged sports betting.

PrizePicks and other DFS prediction apps work by asking players to make predictions about upcoming games in return for payouts ranging from double to 100x the initial buyin. Sports fans can also consider OwnersBox for short, simple, and fair fantasy tournaments.

Fantasy AppWelcome BonusPromo Code
PrizePicks100% up to $100BUSA
OwnersBox100% up to $500BUSA

Horse Racing Betting Bonuses in RI

And finally, Rhode Island bettors can take advantage of pari-mutuel wagering bonuses to further pad their bankrolls. Three mainstream horse racing betting sites operate legally in Rhode Island and offer welcome bonuses to all new customers:

RacebookWelcome BonusPromo Code
TwinSpiresUp to $200BET200
AmWager100% up to $150BUSA150

Rhode Island Sportsbook Locations

Rhode Island’s two casinos now have fully-functional sportsbooks open for business:

Bally’s Twin River Casino in Lincoln took the state’s first sports wagers in November 2018 and now offers a full betting menu covering all the major sports of the world. William Hill manages the sportsbook for both of the state’s casinos and is well-versed in accepting wagers.

Bally’s Twin River Sportsbook maintains the following hours of operation but notes the hours are subject to change based on season and demand.

  • Monday-Thursday: 11 AM to 12 AM
  • Friday: 11 AM to 1 AM
  • Saturday: 9 AM to 1 AM
  • Sunday: 9 AM to 12 AM

The Bally’s Tiverton sportsbook launched in December 2018 and also boasts a wide range of betting options.

Tiverton’s sportsbook hours of operation:

  • Monday-Friday: 11 AM to 12 AM
  • Saturday-Sunday: 9 AM to 12 AM

How Rhode Island Legalized Sports Betting

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and some lawmakers began the process of legalizing sports betting in Rhode Island through a budgetary measure proposed in 2018. The 2019 state budget unveiled in January of 2018 included a surprise: the budget included $23.5 million in new tax revenue collected from sports betting. That item raised a few eyebrows because sports betting wasn’t even legal in Rhode Island at the time.

It turns out Governor Raimondo was banking on a piece of legislation introduced by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio at around the same time the budget came out. Senate Bill 2045 proposed authorizing state-operated sports wagering at the Twin River and Tiverton facilities if federal legislation or a court decision puts an end to the law prohibiting states such as Rhode Island from regulating sports betting.

The bill did not delve too deeply into the details of sports betting beyond naming the two casinos where it would take place and prohibiting wagers on Rhode Island college teams. As far as other regulations and oversight go, the bill left those responsibilities with the Division of Lotteries.

However, the budget did establish some basic regulations such as:

  • Establishing the Twin River casinos as the only locations authorized for sports betting
  • Prohibiting bets placed on Rhode Island sports teams
  • Requiring the state to pay an annual fee of $100,000 each to the cities of Lincoln and Tiverton as “compensation for serving as the host community for sports wagering”

The Rhode Island constitution requires voters to approve of any gambling expansion, but the legislation Ruggerio’s bill explained that sports betting was approved by voters in a 2012 referendum asking if facilities in Lincoln and Tiverton should be allowed to offer gambling, including Class III gaming (which includes sports betting). Voters approved the measure, allowing the state to authorize sports betting.

The Rhode Island legislature approved the fiscal 2019 budget complete with language to legalize sports betting. Governor Raimondo signed off on the budget in June of 2018 to formally legalize sports betting.

Rhode Island Online Sports Betting

After Rhode Island legalized retail sportsbooks at casinos, lawmakers turned their attention to online sports betting. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio got the ball rolling by introducing mobile sports betting legislation in January 2019 via S 0037. The Senate approved the bill the following month, and it subsequently received approval in the House before being signed into law by Governor Raimondo that March.

The Rhode Island online sports betting law was somewhat limited in two key aspects. For one, the two Twin River casinos were given a monopoly over mobile betting and already have agreements in place with longstanding B2B betting suppliers. As a result, Rhode Island bettors missed out on the opportunity to bet with major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel.

Secondly, the law originally required in-person registration. Rhode Island sports bettors wanting to bet online were required to visit one of the two casinos in-person to sign up for an account before being able to place sports bets online from anywhere in the state. However, lawmakers passed new legislation in 2020 to amend the law and permit remote registration.

Rhode Island Daily Fantasy Sports

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Rhode Island has yet to pass legislation addressing daily fantasy sports apps one way or another. Although lawmakers have expressed an interest in doing so, no bills have been proposed due to a bit of an interesting situation in the state.

In 2016, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin looked into the daily fantasy sports issue to decide if the activity was legal under current gaming laws. He came back with the opinion that yes, fantasy sports sites are legal, but he also encouraged lawmakers to enact legislation to regulate and tax the industry.

Just as lawmakers began to do exactly that, the Rhode Island Lottery came back with a different opinion: daily fantasy sports contests meet the state’s definition of “gambling” regardless of whether the activity is a game of skill or chance.

The Rhode Island Lottery took it one step further by adding that not only are DFS contests illegal gambling, but any attempts by lawmakers to regulate the industry would violate the state constitution. This statement directly contradicted the Attorney General’s previous opinion, but it was enough to cause lawmakers to back off their attempts to pass fantasy sports legislation.

Since then, no new legislation addressing fantasy sports has been introduced. DFS sites continue to operate in Rhode Island to this day thanks to the AG’s earlier opinion. This status quo is most likely to continue until either a new AG takes office and issues a different opinion or the state lottery revises its opinion. In the meantime, sports fans can feel free to enjoy their DFS games.

Rhode Island Horse Racing Betting

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The Rhode Island horse racing industry is all but dead today with no active race tracks. However, both casinos do offer fully functional racebooks with simulcasting and wagering offered on most days.

As far as live racing goes, Rhode Islanders will have to make a trip out of state to watch and wager in person. Narragansett Park opened in 1934 and once operated as the most profitable racetrack in the country. Lincoln Downs opened in 1947 to further expand the state’s horse racing options, but both tracks would run their last horse races in the 1970s.

Today, in-person wagering is limited to the racebooks at each of the two Rhode Island casinos:

Rhode Island Online Horse Racing Betting

Rhode Island horse racing betting sites also offer mobile horse betting apps to customers across the state. You can see our recommendations near the top of this page.

Rhode Island law does not explicitly authorize advance deposit wagering, but authorities have never made any indications they plan to ask horse racing betting sites that accept Rhode Island residents to cease and desist.

Rhode Island Online Gambling

Other forms of legal online gambling in Rhode Island include online casinos, poker sites, and lottery games. The Rhode Island Lottery and legal gambling sites are now live, but online poker is likely much further away.

Online gambling is legal in Rhode Island thanks to legislation approved in June 2023.

The law authorized the Rhode Island Lottery and Bally’s Corporation to partner on a casino platform that has a monopoly over online gambling in Rhode Island. Authorized game types include online slots and live dealer table games, which are open to customers 21 or older and physically located within state lines.

Rhode Island Online Poker

When Rhode Island legalized online gambling in 2023, it also authorized online poker for players 21 and older.

The law also granted Rhode Island the right to enter multi-state gaming compacts (think MSIGA) to share tables and player pools with licensed poker sites in other states. If a poker site launches in Rhode Island, the ability to share players across state lines will be critical to its success in a state with a population of just over one million.

However, players should manage their expectations because Bally’s has a monopoly over online gambling in Rhode Island, and it does not offer online poker in any other state.

Weighing poker (a low-margin and high-maintenance business) against online gambling (a high-margin and low-maintenance business), it seems unlikely poker will be high on Bally’s priority list in the short term.

Rhode Island Online Lottery

The Rhode Island Lottery was established in 1974 to generate revenue for the state and has raised billions for the state’s General Fund since. Today, the RI Lottery sells instant win scratch cards, pull-tabs, keno tickets and tickets to several draw games:

  • Wild Money (three drawings per week; progressive jackpot)
  • The Numbers (twice daily drawing; win up to $25,000)
  • Powerball
  • Mega Millions
  • Lucky for Life

Additionally, the RI Lottery operates video lottery terminals, table games, stadium gaming and sports betting at the state’s two casinos as well as online sports betting through SportsBetRhodeIsland.com.

The Rhode Island Lottery took its games online in early 2020 with the launch of iLottery. Players 18 and older can download the official RI Online Lottery app to play games online or visit RILot.com to sign up for an account.

Currently, Rhode Island iLottery offers instant win games and keno in the same formats offered in-person at retailers. Prizes under $600 are automatically credited to players’ accounts and can be withdrawn electronically. Prizes of $600 or greater must be claimed in person at the RI Lottery headquarters.

Players must be 18 or older and physically located within Rhode Island to play online and make deposits but do not need to be residents.

Rhode Island Sports Betting FAQ

Yes. Rhode Island legalized online sports betting and retail sportsbooks as a part of the state’s 2019 budget.

Yes. Sportsbook RI is the state’s only authorized online sports betting operator.

Fans can bet on sports from anywhere in Rhode Island via SportsBetRI.com or in person at retail sportsbooks at the two Bally’s casinos.

Rhode Island law establishes a minimum age of 18 to bet on sports.

Yes – with two restrictions. Sportsbooks may not offer wagers on college games involving Rhode Island teams or that take place within state lines.

State law is unclear on the matter of esports betting, but Sportsbook Rhode Island does not offer wagers on esports events.

The Rhode Island Lottery regulates and oversees sports betting.

Yes. Residents of Rhode Island can bet on the Kentucky Derby (and all Triple Crown races) by using any licensed horse racing betting site or mobile racebook app:

TVGTwinspires, or Amwager are our BettingUSA’s top recommendations.

Both of the state’s casinos offer simulcast wagering for those who prefer to bet on horse races in person.