Guide to Rhode Island Gambling

Rhode Island is America’s smallest state by land (1,545 sq. miles) and one of
the smallest by population (1.055m).

Despite their tiny stature, the Ocean State has carved out a decent sized
gambling market. They currently have two racinos (soon to be three), a lottery
and a poker room.

The one thing missing, though, is legal and regulated online gambling.

Will this happen any time soon? Can you currently play at online gaming sites
in Rhode Island?

These are two of the most important questions that we’ll answer as we discuss
Rhode Island’s gambling laws.

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Online Gambling and Rhode Island Law

Rhode Island is one of many states that doesn’t address Internet gambling.
Their criminal code includes no mention of terms like “computer” or “Internet.”

This has led to a wide range of online casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks
serving the Ocean State.

The presence of these offshore sites doesn’t make Internet gambling legal
though. Let’s look at Rhode Island’s laws to get more context on the situation.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Rhode Island?

No, but it’s not explicitly illegal either.

Statue 11-19-1 from their criminal code explains prohibited forms of gambling
as follows:

“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 in this chapter and in title 41 and chapters 61 and 61.2 of
title 42, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned not
exceeding two (2) years or be fined not exceeding two thousand dollars
($2,000).”

This law mentions the word “lottery” multiple times because Rhode Island
banned lotteries in the late 1890s. Although it mentions lotteries, this
convoluted passage fails to mention gambling.

This doesn’t mean that code 11-19-1 gives offshore companies free reign to
operate in the state though. In fact, the words “chance” and “game” likely make
them illegal in the state.

Overall, Rhode Island is definitely in a grey area regarding online gambling.

Why does Rhode Island Allow Offshore Gambling Sites?

Rhode Island doesn’t allow Internet gambling sites.

It is also one of the smallest states in the nation. Even if they wanted to,
they don’t have the resources or manpower to pursue offshore gaming companies
located thousands of miles away.

This isn’t to say that the Ocean State won’t bust online gambling operators
within their own state. 20 people who were running an illegal bookmaking
business found this out the hard way. Dubbed

Operation Free Roll, Rhode Island State Police raided properties in several
towns to catch the ring.

The ringleaders used what’s called a Price Per Head bookmaking model, where
they referred local bettors to offshore websites. The bookies covered and
received all of the action. In exchange, they paid the offshore sites a standard
fee on each player.

The offshore sites in question were BetCapri.com and VIPBettors.com, based in
Panama and Costa Rica, respectively.

The big difference here, though, is that these men were living on Rhode
Island soil. It makes a huge difference when police can catch illegal bookies
in-state.

Will I be arrested for Gambling Online in Rhode Island?

It’s possible, but there’s almost no chance of you being arrested.

We say it’s possible because code 11-19-21 discusses the penalty for somebody
who frequents a gambling place:

“Every person who shall 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 premises, shall be imprisoned
not exceeding thirty (30) days.”

It’s a stretch to compare frequenting an online gaming site with visiting an
illegal land-based gambling venue, but there still is a connection if Rhode
Island feels like pursuing this type of crime.

Again, the odd of you being arrested for Internet gambling is almost zero.

Rhode Island has never arrested anybody simply for playing online casino
games, poker or making Internet sports bets. If they haven’t done so by now, we
don’t see it happening.

Are Offshore Gaming Sites Safe?

The good thing about online gaming sites is that they’re available for Rhode
Island gamblers. The bad news is that they’re not licensed anywhere in the U.S.

This means that you take your risks by depositing at any offshore sites.

Luckily, most of these companies are reputable operations that have been in
business for years. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to watch out for the few
bad apples.

Here are some tips to find quality offshore gaming sites:

• Read Reviews

This step may be obvious, but it’s the first thing you
should do for any prospective site. Reviews cover a wide range of important
topics including bonuses, promotions, game variety, banking options and
customer support.

Make Sure You can Use an Available Banking Option – One of the key
things you should focus on when looking at reviews is the banking options.
After all, if an offshore site doesn’t have a deposit method you can use,
then you’re wasting your time (unless you want to play for free).

• Focus on Longevity and Reputability

These two factors indicate a
quality offshore gaming site that serves players well enough to continue
doing business.

• Google/Bing Customer Complaints

Google or Bing the site that
you’re interested in followed by “complaints.” Every casino, poker room or
sports betting site will have some unhappy customers. The key to look for is
that they’re not flooded with complaints.

• Make Sure Bonus Terms & Conditions are Fair

Bonus wagering
requirements determine how quickly you can cash out your bonus. The industry
standard is 40x the bonus.

• Live Chat with Customer Support

Ask customer service a quick
question through live chat. This helps you gauge their friendliness and
promptness.

Also On This Page

More Gambling Laws in Rhode Island

• Casino Games: Legal
• Sports Betting: Illegal
• Poker: Legal
• Racing Betting: Legal
• Lottery: Legal
• Bingo: Legal
• Charitable Gambling: Legal
• Social Gambling: Not Specified

Casinos: Legal

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The Ocean State currently features two racinos: Twin River and Newport Grand
Casino.

Both of these racinos used to profit from their live racing, but today, these
venues rely on their slots revenue to keep them going.

Voters approved Twin River to offer table games in 2012. This was seen as a
necessary move because the casino was struggling and needed a boost.

Twin River Tiverton is scheduled to be completed in July 2018. This casino
site is located near the Massachusetts border, which will allow Rhode Island to
better compete with out of state competition.

Charitable Gambling: Legal

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Rhode Island’s charitable gambling laws used to be more liberal until they
amended the laws in 1983 to take away casino nights and poker tournaments.

Today, licensed charities can only hold bingo and raffles to earn gambling
revenue. The following stipulations apply:

• Only members of the charity can manage the game.
• 100% of the proceeds must go to the designated cause.
• Players must be 18 or over.

Lottery: Legal

---

Started in 1974, the Rhode Island Lottery features the following games: Lucky
for Life, Mega Millions, Powerball, Wild Money and different scratch off
tickets.

This state also offers video lottery terminals at the Twin River Casino and
Newport Grand Casino.

Poker: Legal

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Twin River Casino has the only poker room in Rhode Island. This venue
features 16 tables, which offer 7-card stud and Texas hold ’em.

Racing: Legal

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The Plantation State hasn’t had much luck with its live racing industry.

Lincoln Park discontinued its thoroughbred racing in 1977. They replaced this
with greyhound racing and offered that until 2009.

Today, the state’s pari-mutuel facilities, Twin River (formerly Lincoln Park)
and Newport Grand, no longer offer live racing. They instead, focus on their
gaming machines and table games.

Social Gambling: Not Specified

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Rhode Island doesn’t directly address social gambling in their criminal code.

The only thing we see that comes close is code 11-19-20, which reads as
follows:

“Every person who shall, 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, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and be
imprisoned one year.”

This law fails to specify whether the host is still subject to penalties if
they’re not trying to profit. Nevertheless, up to one year in prison is still a
stiff punishment.

The good news is that we can’t find one instance of somebody being arrested
at a social gambling function. Our guess is that as long as the host isn’t
imposing a house edge or selling food and drinks, the game is perfectly fine.

Gambling Venues in Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s three racinos feature over 6,700 gaming machines and 125 table
games.

Twin River Casino is the largest in the state with 4,200 slot machines and 90
table games. Set to be completed in 2018, Twin River Tiverton will feature over
1,000 slot machines and 32 table games.

Below, you can see more details on Rhode Island’s casino gaming industry.

History of Gambling in Rhode Island

Not only is Rhode Island one of the oldest states, but it also has one of the
oldest gambling histories too.

Villages used lotteries to fund projects and governments in the 1700s and
1800s until the government banned lotteries and other forms of gaming in 1896.

Gambling still continued into the early 1900s until police started cracking
down on illegal betting hubs.

It wasn’t until 1934 that the state legalized pari-mutuel betting, giving
Rhode Island its first official form of legal gambling.

In 1974, the Rhode Island Lottery was approved. Charitable gambling was
legalized just five years later in 1979.

One of the most important events in Rhode Island’s gambling history includes
the opening of Lincoln Downs Race Track in 1947. This is significant because
Lincoln Downs would eventually become the Twin River Casino in 2007.

Twin River and Newport Grand are currently the state’s only racinos, but Twin
River Tiverton will join them in 2018.

Rhode Island hasn’t taken any serious steps towards legalizing online
gambling. Hopefully this changes in the future, but there is nothing on the
horizon for now.

Rhode Island FAQs

The Ocean State doesn’t offer much information on their Internet gambling
stance. This means that many players have questions regarding Rhode Island’s
iGaming laws.

Here are a few FAQs that we’ve recently received:

Additional Resources

The Rhode Island Lottery regulates both racinos and lottery games. The State
Police and Games & Athletics Department also have a hand in managing the gaming
industry.

Here’s a closer look at these agencies, along with more on the state’s
gambling laws.

• Rhode Island Lottery

The Rhode Island Lottery website mostly covers the state’s lottery products.
You can find out more on the racinos by visiting the “Games” and “Video Lottery”
options.

• 
  Rhode Island Gaming & Athletics

This department is responsible for the state’s gaming industry, along with
overseeing other athletic contests in the state.

• Rhode Island State Police

Any eligible group wanting to offer chary gambling must contact the State
Police’s Charitable Gaming Unit. Their page contains some laws and charity
gambling application forms.

• Rhode Island Gambling Laws

This website covers the main gambling laws for Rhode Island. If you have
questions beyond what we’ve covered, this is a great page to visit.

The Future & Your Views

Roger Williams settled in Rhode Island in 1636 after he was expelled from
Massachusetts for preaching religious freedoms. The Ocean State would quickly
become one of the most liberal colonies afterward.

Given this history, it’s little surprise that Rhode Island takes a relaxed
approach to DFS and other forms of online gambling.

Their attorney general declared DFS to be legal since it’s a game of skill,
and they have never arrested anybody for playing any form of iGaming.

The only thing missing is a serious push to legalize and regulate the
activity.

Aside from conversations following the U.S. DOJ’s 2011 opinion on the Wire
Act, Rhode Island has been pretty silent about online gambling.

We assume that they’ll remain this way until the racino situation is settled
and all three are at least close to profitability.

The good thing is that Rhode Island residents have a lot of offshore iGaming
options to keep them busy in the meantime.