Rhode Island’s House of Representatives has given the go-ahead to a bill enabling its sportsbooks to go online.
The bill was passed on Tuesday in the only New England state to date where sports-betting is legal. It will now go to the Rhode Island Governor’s desk for final approval.
Until now, bets could only be made at betting windows at the state’s Twin River Casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton. Now punters from anywhere within the state lines will be able to use mobile apps to make their bets.
State President Dominick Ruggerio, who wants to up Rhode Island’s tax revenue, introduced the bill for good reason.
Online betting handle far exceeds Casino takings
The Democratic Senate President said records from states like New Jersey showed that online betting far exceeded in-person wagering.
For example, New Jersey’s online wagers in January easily outstripped those taken at brick and mortar Casinos and Racetracks. Bets made on laptops and mobile devices totaled $304,973,986 as opposed to the $80,305,676 taken at betting windows.
Rhode Island is the only New England state that allows sports betting. Until now, however, bets had to be placed in person at the Twin River casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton. Because of the inconvenience to many punters, the resulting handle had been disappointing
The Republicans in the house introduced an amendment that was defeated. They called for a court opinion on whether lawmakers could authorize online gambling without a public vote.