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US Online Casino Laws

Online Casinos in Rhode Island

Rhode Island runs the country's only single-operator online casino market. Bally's is the lone licensee, working under the State Lottery.

Real-money online casinos
Legal, Bally's only
Online sports betting
Legal, Lottery monopoly
Online poker
Not authorized
Land-based casinos
2 Bally's properties (Lincoln, Tiverton)
Tribal casinos
None
Sweepstakes / social casinos
Available
Live dealer games
Legal
Minimum gambling age
21 casino, 18 sports and lottery
Regulator
Rhode Island Lottery
Regulatory Timeline

How It Happened

  1. Mobile sports betting goes live

    Sportsbook Rhode Island launches statewide on mobile, establishing the Lottery monopoly model later used for iGaming.

  2. iGaming law signed

    Gov. Dan McKee signs S 948 and H 6348-A, making Rhode Island the seventh state to legalize real-money online casinos.

  3. Online casinos go live

    Bally Casino RI launches as the state's licensed iGaming platform, running on the Gamesys system.

Closed Markets

Three States Run Closed iGaming Markets

Most US iGaming-legal states issue brand permits to anyone willing to pair with a land-based casino. Rhode Island is the strictest of the three exceptions, with one operator tied to one corporate owner. The other open markets carry between 15 and 70 active brand permits each.

For comparison, New Jersey holds about 30 active online casino skins across nine Atlantic City casinos, Pennsylvania holds about 20 across 17 casinos, and Michigan adds tribal compacts that push its count past 25. Rhode Island would need new state legislation to add a second iGaming brand.

Where to Play

Best Online Casinos in Rhode Island

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The Forecast Gap

The Pitch Was $93 Million. Year One Came in at $20.8M.

Before legalization, Bally's commissioned Spectrum Gaming Group to model the upside. State lawmakers ordered a second look from Christiansen Capital Advisors and got back a much smaller number. Both projections turned out to be high.

Bally's pre-launch pitch
$93.3MYear-one GGR projection from Spectrum Gaming Group, commissioned by Bally’s in 2023. The five-year ramp reached $130.6M.
State-commissioned forecast
$162.6MChristiansen Capital Advisors, commissioned by the RI Department of Revenue. Cumulative five-year GGR, about $50M below the Bally’s number.
Actual fiscal year one
$20.8MNet iGaming profit to the state general fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, per the Auditor General report.

Monthly iGaming GGR has settled into a $3M to $6M band. February 2026 came in at $5.84M, with slots producing $5.22M and live tables producing $619K. Three reasons usually come up: the 61 percent slot tax leaves no room for the welcome offers that built New Jersey, mass-market brands like FanDuel and DraftKings cannot legally compete here, and a population of 1.1 million caps the total addressable market at a fraction of every other legal state.

The Law

How the Lottery Runs iGaming in Rhode Island

Rhode Island passed S 948 with the companion bill H 6348-A in June 2023. The House cleared the bill 57 to 11, the Senate followed, and Gov. Dan McKee signed the law on June 22, 2023. It extended Bally's existing casino monopoly to cover online slots and table games.

The State Lottery Division of the Department of Revenue runs the program. Bally's holds the sole iGaming license, and the platform is tied to its retail casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton. The statute does not authorize peer-to-peer online poker, and no second operator can join the market without a change in state law.

Tax Structure

61 Percent on Slots. A Cut for Lincoln and Tiverton.

Rhode Island applies the same 61 percent slot rate it charges Bally's on the retail VLT floor. Live dealer tables sit at 15.5 percent. No other state writes specific town cuts into the iGaming formula, but RI does, because the two host municipalities depend on Bally's for a large slice of their annual budgets.

61%
Rhode Island (slots)
Highest online slot rate in the country. Matches the retail VLT tax under Bally’s state contract.
15.5%
Rhode Island (tables)
Live dealer blackjack, roulette, baccarat. The lower rate is why Bally’s leans on table promotions.
54% / 16%
Pennsylvania
Second-highest slot rate. Same split design as RI but a wider gap between the two products.
20-28%
Michigan
Tiered by operator adjusted gross receipts. Top bracket above $12M monthly.
19.75%
New Jersey
Single flat rate, raised from 15% on July 1, 2025 under P.L. 2025, c.066.
18%
Connecticut
Climbs to 20% after the initial five-year holding period set in P.A. 21-23.
15%
West Virginia
Flat across slots, tables, and online poker. Lowest combined rate among open markets.

Where the rest goes

Online slot revenue

  • 61% State of Rhode Island
  • 1.45% Towns of Lincoln and Tiverton (80/20 split)
  • Remainder divided between Bally's and IGT

Online table game revenue

  • 15.5% State of Rhode Island
  • 1.0% Towns of Lincoln and Tiverton (80/20 split)
  • Remainder divided between Bally's and IGT

Through the first year, slots produced about 92 percent of the iGaming tax. February 2026 numbers tracked the same shape, with slot tax of roughly $3.2M against table tax of less than $100K. The 61/15.5 split is the dominant lever in everything the state collects from Bally Casino RI.

Regional Position

Massachusetts Tried. Rhode Island Kept the Border.

Connecticut opened tribal iGaming in 2021. Rhode Island followed in 2024. Massachusetts was supposed to be next, and Beacon Hill pushed two bills through committee hearings in late 2025. Neither survived the spring. The shelving matters for any RI player close to the state line.

  1. Step 1

    Encore Boston Harbor opens

    Wynn Resorts opens a $2.6B casino in Everett, 50 miles from Bally’s Twin River. The two properties compete for the same Boston-metro driver base.

  2. Step 2

    MA legalizes sports betting only

    Chapter 173 of the Acts of 2022 authorizes retail and mobile sportsbooks. Online casino is intentionally left out of the bill.

  3. Step 3

    Encore testifies against MA iGaming

    Executive director tells the Consumer Protection committee that online casino would put roughly 1,800 Encore jobs at risk. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg piles on over lottery cannibalization.

  4. Step 4

    Both chambers send the bill to study

    House and Senate economic committees vote to study the iGaming bill, the legislative term for killing it without a floor vote. The session ends without action.

The practical effect for RI: Bally Casino RI geofences hard at the state line, so MA residents have to drive into Lincoln or Tiverton to play legally. Bally's estimates roughly one in six Twin River retail customers comes from Massachusetts, and none of them can take the app home. The bill sponsor said he will refile for the 2027-2028 session, so the moat is intact through at least mid-2027.

FAQ

Rhode Island Online Casino FAQ

Are online casinos legal in Rhode Island?

Yes. Real-money online casinos have been legal since June 2023, and the market launched on March 5, 2024. The Rhode Island Lottery regulates the program.

Who runs online casinos in Rhode Island?

Only one operator: Bally's Corporation. The 2023 law granted Bally's an exclusive iGaming license, tied to its two retail casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton.

How old do you have to be to play online casinos in Rhode Island?

You must be at least 21 and physically located within Rhode Island state lines. That matches the retail casino rule. Sports betting and the lottery allow play from age 18.

Do I have to live in Rhode Island to play?

No. You only need to be physically inside Rhode Island when you place a bet. Residency is not required, and geolocation software verifies your location.

Is online poker legal in Rhode Island?

No. The 2023 iGaming law covers online slots, live dealer, and table games only. Peer-to-peer online poker is not authorized and is not offered by any licensed operator.