Good things come in small packages.
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States. This did not stop them from making waves in the sports betting space. They became the first state in the Northeast to legalize sports betting. This would eventually start a wave in the region to follow Rhode Island’s lead and legalize in their own states.
The biggest city in this small state is Providence with roughly 190,000 people. There are no professional sports teams in the state. There are four Division 1 college programs. Rhode Island, Providence, Bryant and Brown.
The Ocean State may be small, but that didn’t stop them from having a major impact on sports gambling. Being the first Northeast state to legalize was a huge move in the right direction for states that might have been on the fence previously.
Yes, gambling is legal in Rhode Island. Senate Bill 2045 was created to allow legal sports betting in their two retail locations. Governor Gina Raimondo and other lawmakers presented there could be new tax revenue in their state budget meeting. A 2012 referendum was approved by voters saying retail casinos could allow sports gambling if it became legal. So once the legislature approved the 2019 budget with sports gambling language, Raimondo signed off on the budget and sports betting became legal.
There are currently two retail casino locations that offer sports betting. In 2019, Rhode Island gave their residents mobile sports betting. However, this is run by the state lottery only and doesn’t allow any outside mobile sportsbooks to operate.