Gambling Laws In Rhode Island
There are a number of federal laws in place over the entire country which affect gambling (albeit, with PASPA eliminated, the most restrictive of these is finally gone), and while those laws are clear and steadfast with intentions to halt organized crime, they do nothing to impede the average citizen from the simple act of placing a wager. There is much space left in the wake of these laws for the Ocean State to come up with its own gambling laws for Rhode Island to either expand upon or narrow down the general consensus into a detailed set of regulations.
That's where we come in, to educate Rhode Island residents about the intricacies that surround their gaming laws. Along the way we're going to point out which forms of gambling are allowed, and which forms of gaming are prohibited. RhodeIslandGamblingSites is also going to delve into the world of online gaming and inform readers of how, if at all, these regulations impact gambling on the internet.
Supreme Court Decision Legalizes Sports Betting In Rhode Island
With the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) finally overturned by the SCOTUS, it is now legal for every state in America to choose whether or not to offer athletics wagering within their borders. In other words, and more specifically important, this Supreme Court decision legalizes sports betting in Rhode Island, which will bring the state billions of dollars of revenue and positive economic impact each year going forward. Indeed, HB 7200 already has sports betting income earmarked in the state's budget, and SB 2045 seeks to set up RI's regulatory framework for licensing sports betting to appropriate venues.
However, if you're looking forward to betting on sports over the Internet in Rhode Island, you're likely going to have to wait a bit longer, as physical brick-and-mortar rollouts will be first on the list. That said, you'll still be able to wager on sports at your favorite offshore sportsbooks like Bovada, 5Dimes, SportsBetting, and other top sites that have been legally serving RI customers for decades.
The penalty is stiff for operating a gambling business without a license in Rhode Island, but the act of participating in gambling as a bettor is not actually illegal. Rhode Island legislation appears only to go after and enforce the promotion or conducting of gambling, not the casual poker game behind closed doors in a private residence where there is no profit being made. It is not explicitly clear what a penalty would be and social gambling is not criminalized. There are no records of arrests being made of a father and son wagering on the Boston Bruins at home but Rhode Island can get pretty serious when these wagers or poker games are made to profit.
Rhode Island's stance on gambling is clear right out of the gate beginning with a passage which outlines the business of unlicensed gambling as strictly prohibited and with a clear punishment. Anyone in the Ocean State who sets up, carries on, or promotes gambling will be deemed guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned for up to 2 years and take a fine of up to $2000. This reiterates the laws already in place by the federal government that the unlicensed facilitation of bets for profit is a major offense not only throughout the country but also in the state of Rhode Island. Bookmaking, keeping a gambling place and acting as a lookout for a gambling operation is explicitly forbidden. In fact, the closing of Rhode Island's legislation ends with a direct reference to 'Organized criminal gambling business' in § 11-51-2 of the Rhode Island General Laws.
Now that we have covered how seriously illegal an unlicensed gambling business is in Rhode Island, we can explore a little more through the rest of the legal language in the Rhode Island gambling code. The Ocean State does actually have some forms of legalized and regulated gambling with exceptions put in place for residents. The state has licensed greyhound racing tracks with a pari-mutuel betting format and also allows bingo under the right conditions. The state also hosts a state lottery and allows for video lottery machines that must dispense paper tickets rather than cash winnings.
As of June of 2013, one of Rhode Island's licensed greyhound racing facilities was allowed to expand to have live table games along with its electronic counterparts and pari-mutuel betting. This has signaled a relaxation of Rhode Island's gambling laws as they try to keep up with casino operations in neighboring states. In fact, this has ushered in a new expanded business which has brought about a conglomeration of betting facilities in the form of Rhode Island's first two commercial casinos. And with sports betting finally allowed to be in the mix, you can expect a few more gambling houses to crop up in short order.
Land-Based Gambling In Rhode Island
With the recently changing landscape in Rhode Island, the Ocean State appears to be embracing the idea of legalized and regulated gambling, particularly now that PASPA is out of the picture and sports betting is back in it. Initially only sporting a couple of greyhound tracks, one of them recently expanded and changed its name from Lincoln Greyhound Park to Twin River Casino once it was able to acquire table games and poker. The slots-only Newport Grand is also in operation in the state. Although these facilities have yet to become full-fledged Vegas-style casinos, they are well on their way with slot machines, table games, poker, and rumors of a hotel and resort. There are currently no Native American tribal casinos being operated in Rhode Island, but the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe hopes to open a casino within the region in the coming years which would feature all of the traditional gambling classics. Rhode Island is on the brink of becoming a center for wagers and bets, and soon both residents and visitors will have many land-based options to choose from.
Online Gambling In Rhode Island
Even though other states along the east coast such as Delaware have begun to enact online gaming legislation, the gambling laws in Rhode Island have yet to broach the subject. What this means for those in the Ocean State is that federal laws already in place are the order of the day for determining whether or not one may be allowed to bet online (particularly the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA). Of course, if you're wondering whether or not you can actually wager on the Internet, the answer is, yes, you certainly can. As mentioned earlier on this page, there is nothing which prevents any Rhode Island residents from the act of placing a bet. It is only the business of gambling and facilitating bets for profit on U.S. soil which is illegal without proper state licenses. This means that all those in Rhode Island may bet online provided that they are using a service located outside of the United States.
There are many online options which meet this criterion with online gambling sites being spread across such locations as the United Kingdom, Europe, South America and even as nearby as Canada. These pages have been in the business of facilitating bets for American citizens for decades and come highly regarded after a long track record for reliable payouts, tight privacy and secure banking transactions with many in Rhode Island receiving checks of their winnings delivered straight to their home address within 10 business days.
Popular Gambling Options In Rhode Island:
Online Sportsbooks - Online Casinos - Online Poker
Bovada's all-inclusive gambling website remains our personal top choice and highest recommendation for those in the state of Rhode Island offering the most amount of betting options in a safe and legal manner. Based in neighboring Canada, this online gambling site is specifically designed for use by U.S. residents, those living in Rhode Island included, and has been dominating the online wagering industry for decades.
One of the most alluring aspects of Bovada is their highly regarded online sportsbook which features a wide range of wager types on every major American sport and boasts the most favorable odds and lines in the sports betting community. New users are instantly rewarded when they become members as this online gambling site boost's a new members initial deposit by 50%, a net worth up to $250 of free betting money to wager on anything from who will score first in the second quarter or who might win next year's Super Bowl. Bovada is the leader of the pack and already utilized by millions as those in Rhode Island are welcomed to go and see why.
| Best Overall Betting Sites | Sports? | Casino? | Poker? | Horses? | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
| BetOnline | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
| SportsBetting | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
As set by Rhode Island gambling regulations, citizens of the state need to be at least 18 years old in order to risk any money whether it be in a land-based casino, or even playing the lottery. And since many legal Rhode Island gambling sites adhere to the age set by the state, the minimum age to gamble with many of the sites listed here are 18 years old.
Best For All Gaming Types
