Rhode Island Sports Betting
RI Sportsbooks, Betting Rules and Legal Status
Yes — online and retail sports betting are both legal in Rhode Island: retail since 2018, mobile since September 2019. The minimum age is 18, one of only two states in New England to set it there.
The Rhode Island Lottery operates the market directly rather than licensing sportsbooks, and for its first seven years it ran a single app, Sportsbook Rhode Island. On May 8, 2026 the Lottery awarded Bally's Corp. a tentative five-year contract for a second app, which under the terms of that award cannot open before November 26, 2026.
Rhode Island college teams are off the board unless the game is part of a tournament of four or more teams, and no college event held inside Rhode Island is bettable at all.
Is sports betting legal in Rhode Island, and is it fully regulated?
Yes to both, and Rhode Island is about as tightly regulated as betting gets in the United States, because the state does not license sportsbooks — it runs them.
Governor Gina Raimondo signed sports betting into law on June 22, 2018, weeks after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in Murphy v. NCAA — the first New England state to authorize it. Retail opened at the Lincoln casino that November, mobile followed in September 2019, and until July 28, 2020 you had to walk into a casino to open an account.
The regulator is the Rhode Island Lottery, but it is not a licensing body like the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Under Article VI, Section 15 of the state constitution, Rhode Island itself must operate all lotteries, and sports betting is classified as casino gaming under that authority. The Lottery receives 100 percent of betting revenue and pays its partners out of it. Everything else on this page follows from that.
The Department of Business Regulation’s Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing handles employee licensing and enforcement. By statute, each casino must give Lottery staff and the State Police gaming enforcement unit secure, segregated space with full camera-control surveillance.
How the Rhode Island model actually works
Four entities sit behind every bet here, and knowing which does what explains most of the problems people run into.
|
Entity |
Role |
What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
|
Rhode Island Lottery |
Operator and regulator. Owns all player data, approves all marketing. |
Promotions are thin because the state signs off on each one. Your account data belongs to the state. |
|
IGT |
Platform provider for the app and both retail books. Exclusivity runs to November 26, 2026. |
The app is IGT’s PlaySports product, not a national sportsbook app. |
|
Caesars |
Subcontracted by IGT to supply odds. No direct contract with the Lottery. |
Prices come from Caesars, but you are not a Caesars customer and get no Caesars promotions. |
|
Bally’s Corp. |
Host facility. Runs both retail books, hosts the servers, and performs ID verification, transaction oversight and fraud detection. |
When verification or a withdrawal stalls, the bottleneck is usually the casino, not the app. |
The servers accepting your bet sit physically inside the Lincoln or Tiverton casino — a constitutional requirement, and the largest obstacle to Rhode Island running a market that looks like Massachusetts. Moving them to a commercial data center would require amending the constitution by voter referendum.
R.I. General Laws § 42-61.2-5 splits revenue three ways: 51 percent to the state, 32 percent to the wagering vendor (IGT), and 17 percent to Bally’s as host. Lincoln and Tiverton each receive a flat $200,000 a year. In fiscal year 2025, sports wagering produced $18.6 million for the state.
Rhode Island vs Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire
Rhode Island is 37 miles across at its widest point and Providence is under an hour from Boston, so for much of the state crossing a border to bet is an errand rather than a road trip.
|
Rhode Island |
Massachusetts |
Connecticut |
New Hampshire |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Minimum age |
18 |
21 |
21 |
18 |
|
Online books available |
1, second awarded May 2026 |
13 licenses authorized |
3 online licenses |
5 licenses authorized, 1 live |
|
Effective rate on operator revenue |
51% plus 17% host fee |
20% online, 15% retail |
13.75% |
51% online, 50% retail |
|
Operator license fee |
None |
$5 million |
$250,000 online |
None |
|
State tax on your winnings |
3.75%–5.99% |
5% flat |
Up to 6.99% |
None |
|
Gambling losses deductible on state return |
No |
Only if incurred at a Massachusetts-licensed facility |
No |
No income tax |
|
In-state college teams |
Tournaments of 4+ teams only |
Tournaments of 4+ teams only |
Prohibited, tournament exception applies |
Prohibited |
Betting in person: Bally’s Lincoln vs Bally’s Tiverton
Rhode Island has exactly two retail sportsbooks, both run by Bally’s Corp., which acquired Twin River Worldwide Holdings and rebranded the properties. The statute still calls them the Lincoln and Tiverton gaming facilities.
|
Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort |
Bally’s Tiverton Casino & Hotel |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Address |
100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, RI 02865 |
777 Tiverton Casino Boulevard, Tiverton, RI 02878 |
|
Phone |
(401) 723-3200 |
(401) 816-6000 |
|
Statutory name |
Lincoln gaming facility |
Tiverton gaming facility |
|
Scale |
The larger property; site of Rhode Island’s first legal sports bet in November 2018 |
The smaller property, on the Massachusetts line near Fall River |
|
Also here |
Table games, video lottery terminals, simulcast racing, hotel, dining |
Table games, video lottery terminals, simulcast racing, hotel, dining |
|
Minimum age for sports betting |
18 |
18 |
Retail matters more here than in most states. Because Bally’s performs identity verification and transaction oversight for the whole market, the casino counter is where a failed online verification gets resolved — not a last resort, but how the system is meant to work.
For watching rather than betting, the Brass Monkey at 800 Allens Avenue in Providence, (401) 785-1818, is a long-standing local option. No Rhode Island bar can take a bet.
Responsible gambling and self-exclusion in Rhode Island
Responsible gambling and self-exclusion in Rhode Island
-
Rhode Island Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-877-9GAMBLE (1-877-942-6253), 24 hours a day.
-
Problem Gambling Services of Rhode Island: (401) 499-2472 or (401) 383-0301, for treatment and for enrolling in voluntary exclusion.
-
Rhode Island Council on Problem Gambling: (401) 354-2877.
-
National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-522-4700, call, text or chat, 24 hours a day.
The tools the app must give you
Rhode Island Lottery Rule 20.39M requires the platform to let you set deposit, wager and time limits, take a time out, and self-exclude. These sit in account settings, not behind a support request. Set them at account opening, when they are easiest to choose honestly.
How Rhode Island self-exclusion works
Enrollment runs one year, five years, or life, and a single request covers sports betting, casino gaming and online gambling at both Bally’s properties and across the Lottery’s products. Removal after a one- or five-year term needs approval from casino management and the Lottery. Lifetime exclusion is permanent.
One consequence rarely gets spelled out. Under R.I. General Laws § 42-61.2-14, a person on the list cannot collect winnings or recover losses from prohibited wagering. Winnings are forfeited to the Lottery after taxes and withholdings, with up to $150,000 a year going to the Rhode Island Council on Problem Gambling and the balance to the general fund. If you enroll and bet anyway, you cannot win.
The gap that matters most here: Rhode Island enrollment does not cover Massachusetts or Connecticut. Each state runs its own list and they are not linked. You enroll where you bet, not where you live, and residency is no barrier to enrolling elsewhere. Within driving distance of three markets, exclusion in one is a partial measure — enroll in each, and add device-level blocking software, which covers all of them at once.
If you self-excluded and are still receiving gambling emails
That is a compliance question, not a glitch, and worth pursuing. Under R.I. General Laws § 42-61.2-2.4(e) your player data is the exclusive property of the Lottery, and the vendor may use it for marketing only as the Lottery approves. Marketing here is state-approved, so there is somewhere to take it.
-
Screenshot the message, including sender address, date and any unsubscribe footer.
-
Write to the operator, reference your enrollment date, and ask for written confirmation your record has been suppressed from all marketing lists.
-
Report it to the Rhode Island Lottery, which operates and regulates sports wagering and approves marketing.
-
Report it to the Department of Business Regulation’s Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing, which handles gaming compliance and enforcement.
-
Tell Problem Gambling Services of Rhode Island, who can confirm your status independently of the operator.
Keep a record of what you sent and when. An operator still marketing to an enrolled person after written notice is a documented compliance matter, not a disagreement.
Setting safeguards up with a family member before they start
This is a better conversation than the one after a problem develops, and a small market makes it easier than most. Sit down together at account opening and set the three limits: deposit, wager and session time. Agree the numbers before it is funded, and add a bank or card gambling transaction block, which many issuers offer as a standing setting covering every merchant. Any second app will need its own limits set separately — platform tools do not travel between operators.
Nobody under 18 can bet on sports in Rhode Island, and nobody under 21 can play online casino games. If gambling has stopped being entertainment, call or text 1-877-9GAMBLE.
Common problems and what is actually happening
The app says I am out of state but I am standing in Rhode Island
Almost always a border problem, and Rhode Island has more border than interior. Geolocation reads GPS, Wi-Fi and cell towers, and near the state line it can latch onto infrastructure across it — Woonsocket, Pawtucket, East Providence, Tiverton and Westerly are the usual suspects. Turn Wi-Fi off so the check relies on GPS, move away from the line, restart the app, and set location permission to precise rather than approximate.
I am visiting and the app says betting is unavailable in my location
Check you are actually inside Rhode Island. Visitors can bet here with any valid ID and no residency requirement, but the geofence is the state line, and a hotel in Seekonk or Attleboro is Massachusetts.
I cannot verify my identity
If the automated check fails, verification moves to in-person confirmation at Bally’s Lincoln or Tiverton, because the host facility handles know-your-customer work here rather than the app operator. Bring government photo ID matching the details you entered. This is the intended path, not a red flag.
My withdrawal has been pending for days
Same answer as above. Oversight of financial transactions and fraud detection sits with Bally’s, not the platform vendor, so a withdrawal can be waiting on a casino review rather than anything in the app. Spectrum flagged this as a delay unique to Rhode Island, noting host facilities may face a conflict when prioritizing approvals. Ask support whether the hold is a host-facility review.
A limit-reached message stopped my bet
Two causes. One is a limit you set on yourself — check deposit, wager and time limits in settings, since by design these cannot be loosened instantly. The other is a house limit: the Lottery sets minimum and maximum wagers per market under § 42-61.2-2.4(a)(5), and in a market this size the ceiling on niche markets is lower than a national book’s.
My college bet was rejected
That is the rule, not a fault. No Rhode Island college team outside a four-or-more-team tournament, no college event held in Rhode Island at all, and no player props on a Rhode Island team even inside a tournament.
Resources
Who can bet in Rhode Island — age, ID and location rules
The minimum age to bet on sports in Rhode Island is 18, for both the app and the retail books, under R.I. General Laws § 42-61.2-3.3. Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the only two New England states at 18; Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont all require 21.
Online casino games are different. Rhode Island legalized iGaming through companion bills H 6348 Substitute A and S 948, which cleared the House 57-11 with seven not voting and the Senate 32-4 on June 15, 2023; three House floor amendments failed that day, 12-54, 14-50 and 14-51. Governor Dan McKee signed on June 22, and iGaming launched March 1, 2024 — at 21, not 18, for responsible-gaming reasons. That gap creates a rule specific to Rhode Island.
|
Product |
Minimum age |
Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
|
Sports betting, online (Sportsbook Rhode Island) |
18 |
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-3.3 |
|
Sports betting, retail (Bally’s Lincoln and Tiverton) |
18 |
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-3.3 |
|
Online casino games (iGaming) |
21 |
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-1(12) |
|
Combined sports and casino wallet |
21 |
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-1(24) |
That last row answers a question people ask in a roundabout way. One account covers both sports and casino play only if you are over 21. At 18, 19 or 20 you can bet sports with it, but iGaming is prohibited — you are not being glitched out of the casino section, the statute puts it out of reach until you turn 21.
What you need to register
You can register remotely from anywhere inside Rhode Island; the in-person requirement ended July 28, 2020. You need your legal name, date of birth, residential address and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
The Social Security number is not a credit check. It is how the operator meets federal anti-money-laundering obligations, confirms your identity against public records, and screens you against the state self-exclusion list. Refuse it and the account cannot open. If the automated check cannot match you, verification escalates to in-person confirmation at Bally’s Lincoln or Tiverton, because the host facility handles that rather than the app operator.
Two constraints surprise people. Credit cards cannot fund an online betting account. And you must be physically inside the state to bet — residency is irrelevant. A visitor with valid ID can bet here; a Rhode Islander in Attleboro cannot.
What you can and cannot bet on — including the college rule nearly every site gets wrong
Rhode Island’s college rules are more permissive than almost every summary of them, and the exception runs in a direction most people would not guess. The general rule, at R.I. General Laws § 42-61.2-1(4): a bettable collegiate event excludes any contest held in Rhode Island, and any contest involving a Rhode Island college team wherever it is played. No Friars, Bears, Rams or Bulldogs, and nothing played at the Amica Mutual Pavilion or on a Rhode Island campus.
The exception sits in the same subsection: the prohibition does not apply when the contest is part of a collegiate tournament, which § 42-61.2-1(5) defines as a series involving four or more teams making up a single unit of competition — the same approach Massachusetts takes. In practice, a Providence College regular-season Big East game is not bettable here; Providence in the Big East Tournament or the NCAA Tournament is.
The part that catches people out is that the tournament exception does not extend to player props. Section 42-61.2-1(38) removes from the definition of a bettable sporting event the individual statistics of athletes in a tournament event held in Rhode Island or involving a Rhode Island team. During March Madness you can bet the Friars’ line, spread and total, but not a Friars player’s points, rebounds or assists. The game opens and the props stay closed — a missing prop is the statute, not a fault.
|
Market |
Available in Rhode Island? |
|---|---|
|
All professional sports — NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, golf, tennis, UFC, soccer |
Yes |
|
Olympic and international competition |
Yes |
|
Out-of-state college games with no Rhode Island team, played outside Rhode Island |
Yes |
|
Rhode Island college team in a tournament of four or more teams |
Yes — game markets only |
|
Player props on a Rhode Island college team in a tournament |
No |
|
Rhode Island college team in a regular-season game |
No |
|
Any college event physically held in Rhode Island |
No |
|
Horse and greyhound racing, jai alai |
Not through the sportsbook — separately regulated |
Racing is a technicality rather than a prohibition: pari-mutuel wagering on horse and greyhound racing, including simulcast, and on jai alai is carved out of the sports wagering statute because Title 41 regulates it separately. Both casinos offer simulcast racing in person.
Is sports betting legal in Rhode Island, and is it fully regulated?
Yes to both, and Rhode Island is about as tightly regulated as betting gets in the United States, because the state does not license sportsbooks — it runs them.
Governor Gina Raimondo signed sports betting into law on June 22, 2018, weeks after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in Murphy v. NCAA — the first New England state to authorize it. Retail opened at the Lincoln casino that November, mobile followed in September 2019, and until July 28, 2020 you had to walk into a casino to open an account.
The regulator is the Rhode Island Lottery, but it is not a licensing body like the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Under Article VI, Section 15 of the state constitution, Rhode Island itself must operate all lotteries, and sports betting is classified as casino gaming under that authority. The Lottery receives 100 percent of betting revenue and pays its partners out of it. Everything else on this page follows from that.
The Department of Business Regulation's Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing handles employee licensing and enforcement. By statute, each casino must give Lottery staff and the State Police gaming enforcement unit secure, segregated space with full camera-control surveillance.
DFS Apps & Prediction Markets in Rhode Island
Underdog Rhode Island
Rhode Island residents can also explore Underdog sports, which offers pick'em props just like PrizePicks and fantasy drafts.
Underdog Promo
Keep Your Million + 50% Deposit Match up to $1000 in Bonus Funds!
Underdog Promo Code
Offer Terms and Conditions
Must be 18+ (19+ in AL, NE; 19+ in CO for some games; 21+ in AZ, MA, and VA) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-MY-RESET or 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.ncpgambling.org; AZ: 1-800-NEXT-STEP (1-800-639-8783) or text NEXT-STEP to 53342; NY: Call the 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or Text HOPENY (467369).Action Network Score
8.7/10. We recommend reading our Underdog Promo Code and review for more details on this unique DFS app.
Bonuses & Promotions Mobile App & Website Registering & Cashiering Betting Options Underdog vs Other DFS Apps
Polymarket
New users can use our Polymarket invite code to skip the waitlist and get a trading bonus!
Polymarket Promo
Deposit $10, Get a $50 Trading Bonus!
Polymarket Promo Code
Action Network Score
9/10. We recommend reading our Polymarket Promo Code and review for more details on this unique platform.
Kalshi Rhode Island
Kalshi Promo
Kalshi Promo Code
Action Network Score
Rating Coming Soon.
Thrillz Social Sportsbook Rhode Island
Thrillzz is a newer social sportsbook that offers similar betting markets that can be found on other legal sportsbooks. Players are only able to use coins when placing wagers.
Thrillzz Bonus Offer
Deposit $100, Get 100% Extra in Bonus Tokens!
Thrillzz Promo Code
Action Network Score
8.8/10. Read our Thrillzz Promo Code & Review.
Dabble Fantasy Rhode Island
Dabble is one of the newest DFS apps that offers up to 100X your entry amount if you win!
Dabble Fantasy Promo
Play $5, Get $50 in Bonus Cash!
Dabble Fantasy Promo Code
Terms and Conditions
BONUS CASH. NON-WITHDRAWABLE. T&Cs APPLY. 18+ (21+ MA & AZ; 19+ NE). US customers in eligible states only. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-NEXT-STEP for AZ) or visit www.ncpgambling.org.
Action Network Score
8.9/10. Read our Dabble Promo Code & Review.
Betr Fantasy Rhode Island
Betr Fantasy offers a unique fantasy sports experience where players can make predictions on performances to win prizes.
Betr Promo
Get Up to $200 Back in Bonus, 4 No Sweat Tokens + a Free Pick!The promotion consists of four $50 max tokens; if the entry loses, you will receive your entry fee back in Betr Bucks (max $200 total). Must be 18+ (19+ in AL & CO; 21+ AZ, MA, & VA) and physically located in a jurisdiction where Betr Picks operates. Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply. For more details, please visit betr.app. Concerned about your play? Call the NCPG at 1-800-522-4700.
Betr Promo CodeAction Network Score
9.1/10. Read our Betr Promo Code & Review.
PrizePicks Rhode Island
Rhode Island DFS fans should check out PrizePicks DFS, where over/under totals are created daily for players.
PrizePicks Promo
Play $5, Get $50 in Lineups - Instantly!
PrizePicks Promo Code
Action Network Score
9.4/10. We recommend reading our PrizePicks Promo Code and review for more details on this unique DFS app.
Bonuses & Promotions Mobile App & Website Registering & Cashiering Betting Options PrizePicks vs Other DFS Apps
Rebet Social Sportsbook Rhode Island
Rebet is a fun social sportsbook that offers their own unique "Rebet" button and the ability to switch between for-fun currency and real-money play.
Rebet Promo
Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $100!
Rebet Promo Code
Action Network Score
8.7/10.
Bleacher Nation Rhode Island
Bleacher Nation Promo
Play $5, Get $25 in Bonus Entries!
Bleacher Nation Promo Code
No Code Needed
Rhode Island Social Casinos
Ready to play casino games online? Check out the social casinos available in Rhode Island below!
Hello Millions Casino
Hello Millions Casino is a social casino with a variety of fun slots, table games, scratch cards, and even live Slingo!
Hello Millions Casino Promo
Get 127,500 GC + 62.5 Free SC + Chance to Win 500 Free SC!
Hello Millions Casino Promo Code
Action Network Score
Coming soon! In the meantime, read our Hello Millions Casino Promo Code & Review.
McLuck Casino
McLuck Casino offers an easy-to-use app and a vast gaming library.
McLuck Casino Promo
Get 127,500 GC + 62.5 Free SC + Chance to Win 500 Free SC!
McLuck Casino Promo Code
Action Network Score
Coming soon! In the meantime, read our McLuck Casino Promo Code & Review.
Pulsz Casino
The vast social casino offers over 750 games for users to enjoy. Sign up today to redeem the welcome offer below!
Pulsz Casino Promo
Get 1,005,000 GC + 77.3 Free SC + 50 Free Spins (200% Extra Free)!
Pulsz Casino Promo Code
Action Network Score
8/10. Read our Pulsz Casino Promo Code & Review.
Bonuses & Promotions Mobile App & Website Registering & Cashiering Betting Options Pulsz Casino vs Other Social Casinos
WOW Vegas Casino
The free-to-play social casino offers more than 500 casino-style games to play!
WOW Vegas Casino Promo
Get 1.75 million WOW Coins + 35 FREE Sweepstake Coins!
WOW Vegas Casino Promo Code
Action Network Score
Rating Coming Soon. Read our WOW Vegas Casino Promo Code & Review.
Chanced Social Casino
Chanced Casino Promo
Get 60 Free SC + 600K Gold Coins!
Chanced Casino Promo Code
ACTION
Action Network Score
Rating Coming Soon.
Bally's Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort
The larger of Rhode Island's two casinos and the site of the state's first legal sports bet in November 2018. Retail sportsbook, table games, video lottery terminals, simulcast racing, hotel and dining. Minimum age for sports betting is 18.
Bally's Tiverton Casino & Hotel
The smaller property, on the Massachusetts line near Fall River. Retail sportsbook, table games, video lottery terminals, simulcast racing, hotel and dining. Minimum age for sports betting is 18.
Brass Monkey
A long-standing Providence sports bar with TVs on nearly every wall, an outdoor patio and a full bar. Somewhere to watch rather than bet — no Rhode Island bar can take a wager.
Yes, online and retail. The Lottery operates sports wagering directly under Article VI, Section 15 of the state constitution, with retail books at Bally’s Lincoln and Tiverton and one statewide app, Sportsbook Rhode Island. A second app from Bally’s was tentatively awarded in May 2026 and cannot open before November 26, 2026.
Sportsbook Rhode Island has been the only one since 2019, built on IGT’s platform with odds from Caesars, an IGT subcontractor. On May 8, 2026 the Lottery tentatively awarded Bally’s a five-year contract for a second app, which cannot open before November 26, 2026.
18, for both the app and the retail books — Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the only two New England states at 18. Online casino games are 21 and over, and one account covers both sports and casino play only if you are over 21.
No — physical presence is what matters, not residency. Any adult with valid government ID can register and bet while inside Rhode Island. The reverse holds too: a Rhode Islander cannot bet from Massachusetts on a Rhode Island account.
Only when the game is part of a collegiate tournament of four or more teams, and only on game markets. You can bet a Providence NCAA Tournament line but not a Providence player prop in that same game, or a regular-season Big East game. No college event held inside Rhode Island is bettable regardless of who plays.
Because the Lottery owns all player data and approves every marketing initiative, and 68 percent of gross revenue is committed to the state and host casino before the operator sees anything. Spectrum Gaming Group, in a study for the Lottery, identified both as reasons national operators stayed away.
Not directly — the Lottery told Spectrum Gaming Group its provider does not adjust odds or payout rates to offset the tax. What you lose is the ability to compare prices across books and any meaningful promotional value, which over a season costs more than a slightly better number would gain you.
On price and promotions, yes — Massachusetts especially. Two caveats: you must be physically in that state to bet, and Massachusetts taxes non-residents on Massachusetts-source winnings, so you may owe a non-resident return there plus your Rhode Island one, claiming a credit on Form RI-1040MU. Connecticut does not tax non-residents on non-lottery winnings.
Yes, 3.75 to 5.99 percent, on all winnings wherever won. Rhode Island allows no deduction for gambling losses at all, having eliminated itemized deductions in 2012. Combined with the new federal 90 percent limit for 2026, a break-even year can produce a tax bill at both levels.
Contested. Attorney General Peter Neronha sued both in state court on May 21, 2026, seeking a permanent injunction against sports event contracts here. Kalshi sued the state in federal court the same day arguing preemption, and the CFTC moved to intervene on May 28. Event contracts are federally regulated derivatives rather than sports bets, and no court had resolved the question when this page was last updated.
Contact Problem Gambling Services of Rhode Island at (401) 499-2472, or use the tool in the app. Terms are one year, five years, or life, and one request covers sports betting, casino gaming and online gambling at both Bally’s properties. Lifetime exclusion is permanent, and Rhode Island enrollment does not extend to Massachusetts or Connecticut.
Prediction markets in Rhode Island: the state is suing to shut them out
On May 21, 2026, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha sued Kalshi and Polymarket in Providence County Superior Court, asking the court to declare their sports-related event contracts to be gambling subject to the constitutional voter-referendum requirement, and also casino gaming and online sports wagering subject to Lottery regulation. It seeks a permanent injunction, restitution and disgorgement.
“There is no substantive difference between sports betting and ‘events contracts’ in this context; Kalshi and Polymarket know that, and we know that. The problem here is that Rhode Island State law heavily regulates gambling, for good reason, and we allege that Kalshi and Polymarket are evading our laws.”
— Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, official statement, May 21, 2026
Rhode Island’s financial interest is direct, because the state is the operator rather than a taxing authority. Neronha said the state’s third-largest revenue stream was being damaged as a result; the Lottery reported an 8 percent handle decline from 2024 to 2025 it blames mostly on prediction markets.
Kalshi sued first, filing in federal court in Providence hours earlier the same day. Its position is that its contracts trade on a CFTC-designated contract market and state gambling law is preempted, citing injunctions won in Tennessee and New Jersey. On May 28, 2026 the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the United States moved to intervene — Rhode Island was the seventh state the CFTC had taken on.
Event contracts are federally regulated derivatives rather than sports bets. But the position is unresolved: the state wants these platforms out, they are contesting it, and the federal government has backed them on preemption. Check availability with the platform before funding anything.
Taxes on Rhode Island betting winnings
Two things changed for 2026, and one Rhode Island rule dating to 2012 makes the combination worse here than in most states.
The federal change: you can now owe tax on a break-even year
For tax years beginning January 1, 2026, federal law limits the deduction for wagering losses to 90 percent of those losses — a change to Internal Revenue Code section 165(d) made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Bills to repeal it have been introduced without success. A bettor who breaks even ends the year with taxable income.
The Form W-2G reporting threshold also rose to $2,000 for 2026 and is indexed annually. That is a reporting change, not a tax change — you owe tax on every dollar whether a form is generated or not.
The Rhode Island rule: gambling losses are not deductible at all
Rhode Island scrapped itemized deductions in 2012 in exchange for a larger standard deduction. Federal adjusted gross income flows to the first line of Form RI-1040, and Schedule M has no line on which to deduct gambling losses. There is no mechanism. Rhode Island sits with Connecticut, Ohio and Vermont among the states where you pay tax on gross winnings with no offset for losses at all.
Winnings are taxed as ordinary income across three brackets: 3.75, 4.75 and 5.99 percent. Federal withholding of 24 percent applies to payouts over $5,000, and Rhode Island generally withholds 5.99 percent where federal withholding triggers. Withholding is a prepayment, not a settlement.
A worked example
A single filer in Providence bets through the year. Winning wagers total $40,000; losing wagers total $38,000. Real profit: $2,000.
|
Federal, if you take the standard deduction |
Federal, if you itemize |
Rhode Island |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Winnings reported |
$40,000 |
$40,000 |
$40,000 |
|
Losses deductible |
$0 |
$34,200 (90% of $38,000) |
$0 |
|
Gambling income taxed |
$40,000 |
$5,800 |
$40,000 |
|
Real profit |
$2,000 |
$2,000 |
$2,000 |
Two things get missed. You report gross winnings, not net profit — the full $40,000 goes on your return even though you cleared $2,000. And the federal loss deduction only exists if you itemize, which most filers do not. Take the standard deduction and the whole $40,000 is taxable federally, and taxable in Rhode Island either way.
Keep a session log: date, platform, state you were in, stake, result. Download annual win-loss statements before year end, and note where each winning is sourced if you bet in more than one state. This is general information, not tax advice — confirm with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, the IRS, or a preparer.
- Sports betting for beginners — how odds, lines and bet types work if you are starting out.
- Sports betting glossary — every term you will run into, defined.
- Sports betting mistakes to avoid — the habits that cost recreational bettors the most.