{"id":3466,"date":"2025-06-05T10:47:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T10:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/?p=3466"},"modified":"2025-06-05T10:47:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T10:47:17","slug":"new-bill-could-end-rhode-islands-sports-betting-monopoly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/new-bill-could-end-rhode-islands-sports-betting-monopoly","title":{"rendered":"New Bill Could End RI\u2019s Sports Betting Monopoly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/sportsbook-rhode-island-app.jpg\" alt=\"Sportsbook Rhode Island App\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-3467\" width=\"300\" \/><strong>Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Senate Bill 748 would end Bally\u2019s exclusive contract and allow 3\u20135 sports betting apps to operate starting in 2026.<\/li>\n<li>DraftKings and others argue competition would improve user experience and increase state revenue.<\/li>\n<li>Bally and Lottery officials warn that the change could reduce state profits and strain oversight resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/states\/rhode-island\">Rhode Island<\/a>\u2019s long-standing, single-operator sports betting system is under fire, with lawmakers weighing a dramatic shake-up that could bring in big-name gambling apps like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. <\/p>\n<p>Since legal sports betting began in the state, Rhode Islanders have only had access to one option. Namely, the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsbetrhodeisland.com\/en\/app\">Sportsbook Rhode Island app<\/a>, which is exclusively run by Bally. Nonetheless, that may soon change.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"senate-bill-748-could-end-the-monopoly\">Senate Bill 748 Could End the Monopoly<\/h2>\n<p>A new bill passed by the state Senate on June 4 could end Bally\u2019s monopoly when its current contract expires. <\/p>\n<p>The proposal would prevent the Rhode Island Lottery from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casinousa.com\/news\/ballys-launches-online-gambling-in-rhode-island\">renewing Bally\u2019s deal<\/a> and require it to issue competitive bids to allow three to five gambling apps to operate in the state.<\/p>\n<p>DraftKings wrote in support of the bill, <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We believe Rhode Island can reach its market potential with <a href=\"https:\/\/webserver.rilegislature.gov\/BillText25\/SenateText25\/S0748.pdf\">Senate Bill 748<\/a>. A marketplace with multiple choices for players leads to a better player experience \u2013 operators are forced to innovate, while competing for business<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Proponents argue Rhode Island is underperforming. According to DraftKings, the state earns just $38 per adult in online betting revenue, one of the lowest rates nationwide, and far behind nearby Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"warnings-of-the-system-possibly-backfiring\">Warnings of the System Possibly Backfiring<\/h2>\n<p>However, IGT who provide the games and state lottery officials warn that changing the system could backfire. <\/p>\n<p>IGT Senior VP <strong>Joe Bertolone<\/strong>, <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Rhode Island model outperforms many of its regional peers despite the presence of high-profile competitors in neighboring states<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He argued that the current setup generates more consistent returns due to its centralized control and high tax rates, including a nation-leading 51% on sports betting revenue, as well as a 17% fee paid to Bally\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Lottery Director <strong>Mark Furcolo<\/strong> echoed concerns, questioning whether the agency could realistically manage multiple vendors. He also raised constitutional red flags about blocking Ballys\u2019s contract extension.<\/p>\n<p>The House version of the bill, <a href=\"https:\/\/webserver.rilegislature.gov\/BillText25\/HouseText25\/H6048.pdf\">H6048<\/a>, has yet to move beyond committee. Meanwhile, a different proposal sponsored by <strong>Rep. Scott Slater<\/strong> would allow Bally\u2019s to live stream table games to players in other states. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/webserver.rilegislature.gov\/BillText25\/HouseText25\/H6388.pdf\">H6388<\/a> could also create new jobs and generate fresh revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the state sticks with its single-operator model or dives into a more competitive market remains uncertain. Still, the debate is reshaping the future of online gambling in the Ocean State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: Senate Bill 748 would end Bally\u2019s exclusive contract and allow 3\u20135 sports betting apps to operate starting in 2026. DraftKings and others argue competition would improve user experience and increase state revenue. Bally and Lottery officials warn that the change could reduce state profits and strain oversight resources. Rhode Island\u2019s long-standing, single-operator sports betting [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-industry","category-legal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New Bill Could End RI\u2019s Sports Betting Monopoly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lawmakers in Rhode Island are considering whether to replace the state\u2019s single-operator sports betting system with a competitive model.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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