Online Gambling in Rhode Island

Legal & Regulated
Rhode Island has legal online casino and sports betting — but run as a state-lottery monopoly through Bally’s. Just one casino app, one sportsbook, no online poker, and none of the big national brands.
Online Poker Gray area
Online Casino Legal
Sports Betting Legal
Daily Fantasy (DFS) Gray area
Sweepstakes Casinos Gray area
Where residents play online →

Legislative Timeline

2026
The monopoly starts to crack

In May 2026, Rhode Island licensed Bally’s to run a second online sportsbook, ending the single-operator model — though it can’t launch before late November 2026. Online casino remains a one-operator monopoly.

Mar 2024
Online casino launches Passed

Rhode Island became the seventh state with legal online casino, launching Bally Casino on March 5, 2024 — a lottery-run monopoly, with all online table games streamed live from a studio at Bally’s Lincoln.

2023
Rhode Island legalizes iGaming Signed

Governor Dan McKee signed SB 948, authorizing online casino through the state lottery with Bally’s as the sole operator.

Sep 2019
Online sports betting launches Passed

Mobile sports betting went live statewide, roughly a year after retail betting began — again as a single-operator lottery monopoly.

Nov 2018
Sports betting begins at the casinos Passed

After the Supreme Court struck down the federal betting ban, Rhode Island launched retail sportsbooks at its two casinos.

2009-2010
Greyhound racing ends Signed

Live dog racing at Lincoln stopped in 2009 and was banned in 2010; the venue kept simulcast wagering and leaned fully into casino gaming.

1974
The lottery that runs everything Passed

Rhode Island launched its state lottery in 1974. Today that same lottery oversees the casinos, sports betting, and online gambling — a uniquely centralized model.

Online Casino & Poker in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is one of only a handful of states with legal online casino — but it runs the most unusual model in the country. Instead of licensing many competing operators, the state lottery runs a monopoly: a single online casino (Bally Casino) and, for now, a single sportsbook (Sportsbook RI), both operated by Bally’s, the company that owns Rhode Island’s two land-based casinos.

That means no choice. The big national brands that dominate other states — FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM — don’t offer casino or sports betting in Rhode Island at all (oddly, DraftKings and FanDuel do run daily fantasy here). It also brings unusual rules: Rhode Island law requires every online table game to be live-dealer, streamed from a studio built inside Bally’s Lincoln, rather than computer-generated. In exchange for the monopoly, the state takes a large cut — around 62% of online slot revenue. Bigger competitive markets like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan license a dozen or more casino apps; Rhode Island deliberately chose one.

One thing the monopoly does not include is online poker. Rhode Island’s iGaming is slots and live-dealer tables only — there’s no online poker room, and the state is too small to join a multi-state network. For poker, players use the reopened room at Bally’s Lincoln in person, or cross into Connecticut or Massachusetts for other options. Offshore sites remain the only way to play online poker outside the state’s single app — but they carry no Rhode Island oversight.

The practical reality: If you’re in Rhode Island, the legal online options are Bally Casino (slots and live-dealer tables, 21+) and Sportsbook RI (sports, 18+), plus the online lottery. There’s no competition and no online poker, so players wanting choice or poker look to neighboring states or offshore sites.

Where Rhode Islanders Actually Play

Rhode Island has legal online casino and sports betting — but only one app each, run by the state lottery through Bally’s. Here’s what that means in practice.

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What to know about playing from Rhode Island
  • Online casino: one legal app, Bally Casino — slots and live-dealer tables, 21+
  • Online sports betting: one legal app, Sportsbook RI — a second (Bally's) launches no earlier than late 2026, 18+
  • The big national brands (FanDuel, DraftKings) don't offer casino or sports betting in Rhode Island
  • There's no legal online poker — for poker, play live at Bally's Lincoln
  • The online lottery (rilot.com) is a separate, legal option for draw games and instants

Casino Gaming in Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s land-based gambling is compact and unusual: two casinos, both owned by Bally’s — Bally’s Lincoln (the larger property, formerly Twin River) and Bally’s Tiverton. They’re the state’s only land-based gambling, and the same company runs the online casino and sportsbook.

There are no tribal casinos in Rhode Island. The Narragansett Tribe has sought gaming for decades but was blocked — most decisively by the 2009 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Carcieri v. Salazar, which stopped the federal government from taking land into trust for the tribe. No fix has passed since.

For poker players, there’s good news: Bally’s Lincoln reopened its poker room in 2024 as the Maverick Poker Room, with 20+ tables running Texas Hold’em and Seven-Card Stud plus daily tournaments. It’s the state’s live-poker hub — even though online poker isn’t offered.

2 Casinos in Rhode Island — both Bally’s-owned
1 Legal online casino app (a state monopoly)
Mar 2024 When online casino launched — the 7th US state
0 Tribal casinos, or legal online poker rooms

Player Protections in Rhode Island

✓ Protected

Licensed online casino & sports betting

Because the state lottery runs online gambling directly, the legal apps (Bally Casino and Sportsbook RI) are tightly overseen, with responsible-gaming tools and a self-exclusion program covering both online and the Bally's casinos.

✓ Protected

Land-based casinos & lottery

Bally's Lincoln and Tiverton, and the state lottery, are all lottery-regulated. Self-exclusion runs 1 year, 5 years, or lifetime.

✗ Not protected

Offshore & sweepstakes sites

No Rhode Island protection. Offshore casinos and poker sites — and sweepstakes apps — are unlicensed here, with no fund segregation or dispute recourse. Stick to the state's legal apps for full protection.

Our guidance: Rhode Island is one of the few states where online casino and sports betting are fully legal and state-regulated — so there’s little reason to go offshore. Use Bally Casino (21+) and Sportsbook RI (18+). Online poker isn’t offered here, so players use offshore sites or play live at Bally’s Lincoln — weigh the lack of state protection before playing offshore.

Responsible Gambling Resources — Rhode Island

If gambling stops being fun — or you're chasing losses — free, confidential help is available 24/7. Rhode Island's helpline connects residents to assessment and treatment.

RI Helpline — 1-877-9GAMBLE
Free, confidential help 24/7 — call or text 1-877-9GAMBLE (1-877-942-6253). Multilingual, run through Problem Gambling Services of Rhode Island.
1-877-9GAMBLE · pgsri.org →
RI Lottery — Responsible Gaming
The state lottery's responsible-gaming hub, including self-exclusion from the casinos and online platforms.
rilot.com →
NCPG — Rhode Island
The National Council on Problem Gambling's Rhode Island resources and referrals.
ncpgambling.org →
1-800-GAMBLER — National
The National Council on Problem Gambling's 24/7 line. Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER, or text HOME to 53342.
ncpgambling.org →
Tools available at most offshore sites
Deposit limits Session time limits Self-exclusion Cooling-off period Reality checks