Rhode Island has expanded mobile betting to a second casino location, following the initial launch of the Sportsbook Rhode Island wagering app on September 4.
Rhode Island has become the latest state to go live with digital betting following last year’s annulment of the long-standing federal ban on athletic gambling by the US Supreme Court. The state legalized sports betting shortly after the strikedown of the ban and physical sportsbooks opened doors at its two casinos late in 2018.
The legalization of mobile betting required the introduction and approval of a separate piece of legislation. That second piece survived through the Rhode Island Legislature and was adopted earlier this year.
The Sportsbook Rhode Island mobile betting app went live on September 4 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln. Following that initial start of the digital sportsbook, it is now also available at Twin River’s sister property, Tiverton Casino Hotel in Tiverton.
In order to be able to place bets via the mobile app, bettors first need to activate their accounts at one of the state’s two casinos. Once they complete the registration step, they will be able to use the new app everywhere in the state.
Customers are required to produce a photo ID in order to be able to activate their mobile accounts at the Lincoln and Tiverton casinos.
The mobile betting app was built jointly by IGT and William Hill US. The latter is responsible for the day-to-day operation of Rhode Island’s digital sportsbook. Under state law, Rhode Island gets 51% of the revenue generated by the local physical sports betting facilities and the digital operation, while IGT and William Hill receive a 32% share. Twin River, the operator of the two brick-and-mortar casinos, collects 17% of the betting revenue generated on the territory of the state.
Is Mobile Betting Constitutional?
While the recent launch of the mobile betting app has brought to an end a rather long wait for the start of digital wagering in Rhode Island, the state is facing a lawsuit that claims mobile betting violates constitutional provisions.
Under state law, any form of gambling expansion must be approved by a statewide referendum and must be voted in favor of by individual towns and cities. Lincoln and Tiverton were the only cities to vote on the matter. The mobile app allows residents to place bets across the state. However, as mentioned earlier, they first need to set up their accounts at one of the two land-based casinos that operate on the territory of Rhode Island.
Former Providence mayoral candidate Daniel Harrop has filed a lawsuit, arguing that the recently released mobile betting app violates state law because no statewide referendum was held to approve its launch.
According to the Chief of Information and Public Relations for the state Department of Revenue, Paul Grimaldi, the state’s legal requirement was satisfied because the technology that provides sports betting services is located at the two land-based casinos and bets “flow through those two physical locations.”
Last week, a judge ruled that Mr. Harrop did not have standing to bring the suit as he had not been harmed personally by the legalization and introduction of sports betting in the state. The former mayoral candidate then found a $20 loss from a bet he placed on the Patriots in December at Twin River and refiled the lawsuit.
A hearing this coming Monday will determine whether he has standing to bring the case this time around. Mr. Harrop told the Brown Daily Herald that if he does not get standing next week, he will bring another plaintiff and that he will not give up until “the constitutional issue is decided on.”
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