Rhode Island Joins Family of Online Casino States

This has been made possible through Bally’s, which has been offering interactive casino games of chance since Tuesday, and is the first time the country has seen a new expansion and a subsequent launch of iGaming since Connecticut became the sixth state to do so in October 2021.

Rhode Island Lifts the Curtain on Online Casino Gaming

The key event here is not so much the arrival of interactive gambling, as online sports betting has been available in Rhode Island since late 2019. Last year, the state gave its go-ahead to Bally’s to operate an exclusive live casino with Stakelogic, a supplier with a global reach and a unique blend of live dealer games.

Rather, it’s a matter of introducing online casino games. Bally’s features 170 slot games and it also offers live dealer tables for blackjack and roulette, both of which are popular segments.

However, the online casino does come with some conditions. For one, to play online, players would have to be 21 years of age, as opposed to 18 years for the commercial casino. There are also a host of responsible gambling measures designed to ensure that online players are protected and have access to all they need to engage responsibly with gambling.

That includes session limits, spending and betting restrictions, cool-off periods, and of course self-exclusion. Rhode Island, a small state by any meaningful measure in the United States, has decided to pursue growth in yet another important gambling vertical.

Bally’s is hoping to continue adding to its online casino offer, although there may be a fast-reached ceiling for the actual growth with not that many players to go around. The Ocean State and the latest introduction of online casino games, though, begs the question of how soon before we see others follow suit. The gambling bill that made online casino gambling in Rhode Island is far from ideal, though.

Who May Be Next in the Race for iCasinos?

It only allows Bally’s to offer such products, and this is understandable as Rhode Island operates an exclusive based on an exclusivity model with the brand. Other states though are bigger, and there are already several potential targets for further expansion. Among the names that have openly discussed the idea are both Indian and Illinois.

Florida, which managed to push online sports betting through a tribal compact, has been openly tinkering with the idea of using the same arrangement and introducing online casinos, although all of these are rather far-fetched.

There is a compelling case to pursue growth in Indiana, too, as according to a recent study, the state stands to rake in millions worth of tax windfall, not to mention the added value to the economy. Anything new coming out of Illinois this year, though, is more likely to do with a proposed tax increase, however.