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RI Sports Betting Online. The Sportsbook Rhode Island has finally launched in the Ocean State, just in time for NFL season. Bettors can now engage in sports wagering via desktop or mobile from anywhere in the state, as long as they physically register at the Twin Rivers Casino first.
In a statement by Rhode Island Attorney General, Peter Neronha, he alleged that Barlow used his influence as vice president at the casino to stage a kickback scheme with one of the casino operators, Yehuda Amar. Barlow was appointed as the vice president of food and beverage at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln in 2006 before being promoted in 2015. Rhode Island is a state that is best known for its size, or lack thereof. The state’s 1,214 square miles makes it the smallest state in terms of area. Even worse, almost 14 percent of Rhode Island’s property is water.
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Last Updated December 17, 2018
Known by the nicknames The Ocean State and Little Rhody (I vastly prefer the latter), Rhode Island probably isn’t thought of by many as The Poker State. But thanks to the innovation of online poker and the recent expansion of regulated gambling in Rhode Island, poker is gaining a strong foothold with players in the state. That foothold, and where it might lead, is the topic of this Rhode Island Guide to Online Poker, which will also touch on the legal and political issues surrounding online poker and gambling in general.
Guide to Online Poker in Rhode Island
While any number of online poker sites take customers from Rhode Island, not all of them offer the same quality of experience. To save you from finding out the hard way which Rhode Island poker sites are worth your time and which are better left unplayed, we polled our writers, staff and some readers to generate this (regularly updated) list of the top online poker rooms:
| Bovada | $500 Bonus | 3-4 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires |
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| Ignition | $2000 Bonus | 3-4 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires |
| Intertops | $600 Bonus | 5 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Wires |
| BetOnline | $2500 Bonus | 5-7 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Wires |
| Sportsbetting | $2500 Bonus | 5-7 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Wires |
Can I Play Online Poker in Rhode Island?
There are basically two steps to getting online to play poker for money from Rhode Island. The first is to create an account, which is a blissfully simple affair requiring little more than an email and a minute or two of your time. The second is to deposit money into that account, which is a slightly more complicated, but still relatively quick, process. You’ll have a number of choices for funding your online poker account, but the two with the highest ratings among Rhode Island poker players are Visa and MoneyGram.
| Type/Code | Summary |
|---|---|
| State Code Section(s) | 11.19; 11.50-51; 41.1-4; 41.7; 41.9-11 |
| Definition of Gambling | Includes, but is not limited to, pool-selling, bookmaking, maintaining slot-machines, roulette wheels or dice tables, and conducting lotteries, Policy, Bolita, or numbers games or selling chances in them. |
| Definition of Prohibition Gaming | Every person who shall, directly or indirectly, set up, put forth, carry on, promote, or draw, publicly or privately, any lottery, chance, game, or device of any nature or kind whatsoever, or by whatsoever name it may be called, for the purpose of exposing, setting for sale or disposing of any money, houses, lands, merchandise, or articles of value, or shall sell or expose to sale lottery policies, purporting to be governed by the drawing of any public or private lottery, or shall sign or endorse any book, document, or paper whatsoever, for the purpose of enabling others to sell, or expose to sale, lottery policies, except as authorized, shall be deemed guilty of a felony. |
| Definition of Permitted Game of Chance | The game commonly known as “Bingo” or “Beano” or substantially the same game under any other name, or a raffle or lottery. |
| Online Poker/Gambling | There was some discussion of online poker in 2014, but there have been no bills introduced then or since in the state legislature. |
| Live Poker | The Twin River Casino is the only racino in Rhode Island to offer live poker with cash games and tournaments. |
| Casinos | The racetracks in Rhode Island were allowed to install video lottery terminals in 1992 and table games like poker in 2012. |
| Sports Betting | Both houses of the Rhode Island legislature passed a bill to legalize sports betting in June 2018. |
| DFS | A bill to legalize daily fantasy sports did not pass in 2017. |
| Other Forms of Gambling | Bingo and raffles for seniors and charitable organizations, lottery, keno, jai alai, horse racing and on-track pari-mutuel wagering. |
Rhode Island Gambling Law and Online Poker
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Understanding how Rhode Island law treats online poker requires you to first understand how the law handles gambling in general. That’s the aim of this section of our guide, where we’ll first outline the core things you need to know about Rhode Island gambling law and then link you to the full text of the law for additional research.
Below you can find the basics of Rhode Island gambling law:
Gambling law in Rhode Island is complicated by a number of factors. The first and foremost: there is no direct definition of gambling (or similar term).
We can glean some sense of what lawmakers intended from “Forms of gambling prohibited,” which disallows:
“any lottery, chance, game, or device of any nature or kind whatsoever, or by whatsoever name it may be called” (Section 11-19-1). The section does not address participation in such activities; rather, it prescribes a felony charge for those who ”
directly or indirectly, set up, put forth, carry on, promote, or draw” prohibited forms of gambling.
There is a surprising severity to be found in some parts of Rhode Island law. For example, the crime of “Inducing others to visit a gambling place” – defined as to
“on any pretext whatsoever, invite, entice, persuade, or induce any other person to visit any house, room, or other place kept for the purpose of gambling, with the intent that that other person shall at that place engage in gambling or playing at any game of chance, for money or other valuable consideration” (Section 11-19-20)
carries a jail term of one year.
Similarly, the seemingly harmless crime of “frequenting gambling place,” which entails no more than to “frequent any gambling house or place where gaming is practiced or carried on, not in the performance of official duty and not being the landlord of that place entering to view the premise” (Section 11-19-21) – brings up to a whopping 30 days in jail.
For a fuller sense of how the law in Rhode Island could apply to online poker, visit the links below to access a searchable version of Rhode Island state law.
Will Rhode Island Regulate Online Poker?
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While gambling expansion is always something of an uphill fight, there do seem to be some positive signs for those who would like to see state-regulated online poker in Rhode Island.
We’ve heard regular chatter of an interstate partnership involving Delaware and Rhode Island, for one thing. For another, the state – at least some parts of it – seem more than willing to embrace more regulated gambling (additional details on that below). Put it all together and Rhode Island starts to look like a state that could launch regulated online poker well ahead of the average state in the U.S.
Rhode Island Gambling Facts
Regulated gambling options in Rhode Island run the gamut, from commercial casinos to pari-mutuel betting to charitable gambling (raffles & bingo) to the state lottery. The one major type of regulated gambling that you won’t find in Rhode Island: tribal gambling facilities.
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Rhode Island does not leave any room in their law for so-called “social gambling,” but it’s difficult to gauge the enforcement interest of the government when it comes to private games such as a home poker tournament.
Regulated Online Gambling in Rhode Island
There aren’t any forms of state-regulated online gambling in Rhode Island, but that situation could change over the next year. Read more about the state’s chances of regulating online poker in the section above.
The public approval of table games at the Twin River casino in November 2012 generated a ton of local and national interest, and – at least to some – represented the latest salvo in a dangerous regulated gambling race between Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Not all recent attempts at expanding gambling in Rhode Island have met with success; in fact, as voters in one part of the state approved more gambling, voters in another shot it down . We expect that trend of push-and-pull to continue in Rhode Island for the next several years, with opponents and supporters of regulated gambling expansion continuing to do battle on the hyper-local and state levels.
Additional Resources for Rhode Island Gambling Research
BallotPedia: Rhode Island Question 1 (2012) . Get the full story on the 2012 ballot measure that allowed gambling expansion at Twin River in this comprehensive overview from BallotPedia.org.
Rhode Island State Police – Charitable Gambling Unit. Enforcement of the charitable gambling laws in Rhode Island falls to this unit of the State Police. History, FAQs and the basics of legal charitable gambling.
Twin River Casino . Rhode Island’s largest regulated gambling operation (by most measures). Complete details on available games, related news and so on.
Sources & Citations For This Article on Rhode Island Online Poker
- Lottery (1973), Racing (1977), Bingo (1979), Video Lottery (1992), Casinos (2012)
- $250 million
- $620 million
- 18 for all forms of gambling
- Rhode Island exempts casinos and off-track betting sites from its statewide smoking ban
- Horse racing and daily fantasy sports are the only legal forms of online gambling in Rhode Island
Rhode Island gambling industry has always played keep up with its neighbors. The state legalized horse racing after most of the other states in the region. The same goes for its lottery. Two video lottery Rhode Island casinos were approved at the state’s racetracks to compete with Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Table games were approved by voters in one of these local jurisdictions to draw the same players, as well as protect against the inevitable expansion of casinos in Massachusetts.
Charitable gambling is legal in Rhode Island. It has one of the strictest licensing processes for this in the country. Bingo and similar games must be approved by the state police.
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Types of Rhode Island Online Gambling Allowed
There are two types of legal online gambling in Rhode Island. Off-track betting on horses and greyhounds is legal. TwinSpires and XpressBet are the two sites that take this action.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin declared that daily fantasy sports contests are legal in the state in February 2016. DraftKings, FanDuel, CBS Sports, and Yahoo! are the major providers in Rhode Island.
Types of Live Rhode Island Gambling
- Slots: Yes
- Blackjack: Yes
- Poker: Yes
- Craps/Roulette: Yes
- Horses: Yes
- Lottery: Yes
Rhode Island offers several forms of legalized live gambling. The state lottery sells traditional scratch-off and lotto tickets. These include massive interstate jackpots like Powerball and Mega Millions. There are two other games of chance offered by the Rhode Island Lottery. There are keno drawings every four minutes. There is also a weekly keno night on Thursdays. The Rhode Island Lottery also holds bingo games.
There are two racetracks in Rhode Island. These both offer live horse racing and off-track betting. One track is at Newport Grand. The other is at Twin River Casino. While only horse racing is operated at the tracks, greyhounds may be bet on at the race books. Greyhound racing is technically legal in Rhode Island but neither of the tracks operates it.
The two racetracks, acting as Rhode Island casinos, offer video lottery games. Newport Grand and Twin River Casino offer slots, video poker, and electronic table games. Twin River Casino also has table games. These include live poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, Three Card Poker, Spanish 21, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, and Big6Money Wheel.
Charities may spread bingo and raffles. This is a minor industry in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Gambling Laws
Rhode Island is one of the few states that have a minimum age of 18 years for all forms of gambling. This includes its two casinos. Casinos pay a tax rate of 27.5 percent in the state.
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Local voters must approve table games at casinos. Voters in Lincoln approved table games at Twin River Casino. Newport voters rejected the same ballot question. Newport Grand and Twin River may both operate slots, video poker and electronic table games. The live table games at Twin River Casino can take on any variety. Games of luck like craps, roulette, Big 6 Wheel and baccarat are available. Games requiring some skill, including blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker and Let it Ride are also legal.
Rhode Island bingo registration is operated by the state police. Charities must be at least two years old to qualify. Low limit games that run only once per week and have prize pools of less than $300 have little in the way of regulation. Higher limit games require more oversight. Employees may only be paid in non-cash gifts of no more than $25 in value per quarter.
Horse and greyhound racing are both legal in Rhode Island. The two tracks choose to only race horses. Greyhound betting on simulcast races is still legal at race books and on mobile apps.
The state lottery is given great latitude on the types of games it can offer. Chance must be involved. The Rhode Island lottery may sell instant-game and lotto drawing tickets. Keno and bingo games are also permitted. These may be live or electronic drawings. Lottery tickets sales may not be made over the Internet.
List of Rhode Island Casinos
There are hundreds of lottery retailers and a handful of bingo halls in Rhode Island. Beyond that, there are only two places to gamble. Newport Grand in Newport and Twin River Casino in Lincoln are Rhode Island casinos and tracks. Both offer live horse racing, off-track horse racing, off-track greyhound racing, slots, video poker and electronic table games. Twin River Casino also has table games that include live poker, craps, roulette, Big 6 Wheel, blackjack baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Let it Ride and Three Card Poker.
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Grand Casino – Newport | 1,000 Slot Machines | 150 Admiral Kalbfus Rd. | www.newportgrand.com |
| Twin River Casino – Lincoln | 4,200 Slot Machines | 100 Twin River Rd. | www.twinriver.com |
History of Rhode Island Gambling
Horse racing in Rhode Island dates back to the early 1900’s. Renegade tracks offered off the book betting on races. This slowed after the Great Depression but demand returned. The state started regulating racing in 1977. Greyhounds operated in the early days but the dogs were later retired in favor of horses.
Horse racing was not the first form of legalized gambling in Rhode Island. The state lottery was passed through a constitutional referendum in 1973. The first ticket was sold in May 1974. Rhode Island joined interstate lotto drawings in 1988. Four years later, the state lottery rolled out video keno. Drawings are held every four minutes in bars, bowling alleys and similar businesses.
The state’s two racetracks were permitted to offer slots, video poker and electronic table games in 1992; becoming the sole Rhode Island casinos. This was called video lottery. This was done to prevent the state’s gamblers from going to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in neighboring Connecticut. The tracks started to lobby for table games in the early 2000’s. In 2012, residents of Newport and Lincoln were asked if table games should be permitted at the two tracks. Voters overwhelmingly approved table games in Lincoln for Twin River Casino. Newport Grand was not so lucky. Local residents rejected the ballot question.
Rhode Island gambling at the tracks has brought some scandal. In 2001, two executives at Lincoln Park, the former name for Twin River Casino, were indicted for attempting to bribe a member of the state legislature. Governor Donald Carcieri demanded that the track be sold after that incident.
Rhode Island Casinos & Gambling FAQ
How old do you have to be to gamble in Rhode Island?
The minimum Rhode Island gambling age is 18 years for all forms of betting.
Yes. The Rhode Island smoking ban exempts casinos and off-track betting facilities.
Slots, video poker, and electronic table games are spread at Newport Grand.
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Slots, video poker, electronic blackjack, electronic roulette, live poker, blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, Three Card Poker, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker and Big 6 Wheel are spread by Twin River Casino.
Yes. There is a poker room at Twin River Casino.
No. All sites that operate in the state are unlicensed. The same goes for online casinos and sports betting sites.
Are daily fantasy sports contests legal in Rhode Island?
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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin declared daily fantasy sports to be legal in February 2016.
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What daily fantasy sports sites operate in Rhode Island?
DraftKings, FanDuel, CBS Sports and Yahoo! are the major sites that operate in Rhode Island.
Can you buy lottery tickets over the Internet in Rhode Island?
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No. Lottery tickets may only be sold at brick and mortar retailers. This includes convenience stores and bars.