Rhode Island Considering Online Gambling

The state of Rhode Island is possibly considering legalizing and regulating online gambling within their tiny borders in an effort to pad their coffers and coverage some budget issues.

The proposal will see the state offering online casino games as well as sportsbetting inside the state of just over 1 million people. Legalized sportsbetting and online gaming would see operators getting taxed a certain amount on revenues, which will then be put back into the state to fund various programs. Similar instances have been implemented in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, while Pennsylvania has legalized the activity but is yet to go live. Gambling is already a top five revenue generator for the state, and online would likely boost that sector.

Speaking about the matter Rhode Island Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello said, "If the U.S. Supreme Court issues a favorable ruling to legalize sports betting in New Jersey as expected, I would be very interested in such legislation for Rhode Island. Many details would have to be worked out as to where the betting would take place, but I am certainly open to the possibilities here and would work with the Lottery Commission to make sure it is done appropriately. Depending on the timing of the Supreme Court ruling, I don't know if this could be in place for the next fiscal year's budget."

Obviously, things are just at the beginning stages of the process to begin legalization, but our news team will keep up on this and inform players as we learn more.