No new states have legalized any form of gaming in 2025. But Rhode Island lawmakers may be poised to open up that state’s market. Since lawmakers legalized sports betting in June 2018, International Gaming Technology (IGT) has had a monopoly in partnership with the state lottery.
But SB 748 has been moving steadily through the legislature. The bill would create a competitive market, allowing a minimum of two operators and a maximum of five. IGT’s wagering contract with the Rhode Island Lottery runs out in November of 2026.
A similar bill in the House has not gained as much traction.
SB 748 was placed on the Senate calendar for consideration on Wednesday after the Senate Labor and Gaming Committee passed an amended version of the bill Monday. SB 748 could be called for discussion as early as this week. The bill has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and Senate President Valarie Lawson. Lawson replaced former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, who championed legal sports betting. Ruggerio died April 21.
The Rhode Island Current reported Tuesday that Ciccone filed his bill in part because Ruggerio “hated” the existing platform. A Spectrum Gaming Group study commissioned by the legislature recommends the state have between and four and six platforms.
Some smaller states offer more options
Rhode Island is among a handful of states with a single operator — Florida, Oregon, and New Hampshire are among the others. Florida’s situation is unique as the state’s Seminole Tribe has exclusivity for gaming and operates its Hard Rock Bet platform there. In Oregon and New Hampshire, DraftKings has deals with each state’s lottery.
With a population of 1.1 million, Rhode Island is the seventh-smallest state in the U.S. Among smaller states with legal sports betting, Vermont has three digital platforms and Wyoming has five.
Until July 2024, the District of Columbia also had a single-operator setup. At the start, that setup was similar to Rhode Island’s, where the lottery used a vendor — in Washington, D.C., it was Intralot — to run the back end of its platform. But lawmakers there opened the market, and all of the biggest U.S. operators — BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel — are now live.
““It’s a way of cleaning it up,” Ciccone told the Current. “The lottery was always looking at more than one option.”
According to the text of the Senate bill, the lottery would not be permitted to renew the IGT contract after July 1, 2026. Sometime during 2026, the lottery would open a competitive-bid process.
House not as enthusiastic
While Ciccone’s bill is moving through the Senate, progress in the House has been slower — it has been hung up in the House Finance Committee since May 1 when the committee recommended it be held for “further study.”
According to the Current, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said the bills to open the market are premature since IGT’s contracts don’t expire until late 2026. But he also said he would review the final Senate bill.
Ciccone is also sponsoring SB 623, which would impose a fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year in prison on any person between the ages of 18-20 found guilty of wagering or using an iGaming platform. A violator would be charged with a misdemeanor. The legal age for gambling in Rhode Island is 21.
The Senate Labor and Gaming Committee moved that bill forward Monday, when it recommended it for passage by the full Senate.
Rhode Island’s legislature is scheduled to adjourn June 30.
