Rhode Island (USA): gambling regulation and licensing
State of Rhode Island
Part of United States
- Online casinoMonopoly
- Online sports bettingMonopoly
- Land-based (reference)Regulated
- Regulator
- Rhode Island Lottery
- Headline tax
- 61% GGR
- Licence required
- Not yet verified
- Last verified
- 30 Aug 2026
Summary
Rhode Island became the seventh US state with legal online casino on 5 March 2024, and did it on terms no other state has matched. The interactive licence sits with the Rhode Island Lottery, Bally's Corporation is the only authorised operator, and the state takes 61% of online slot revenue and 15.5% of online table game revenue. Those are the highest online casino tax rates in the country by a wide margin. Pennsylvania, the next highest, takes 54% of online slots; New Jersey takes 15%. Rhode Island's rate is only commercially survivable because it comes with exclusivity: Bally's is not competing for market share against a field of rivals, so it does not need the marketing budget that competition demands. That trade, a monopoly in exchange for a punitive rate, is the model to watch. It is the opposite of the New Jersey approach and it produces a smaller market with a much larger state share of it.
Common pitfalls
The 61% applies to online slots. Online table games are taxed at 15.5%, so a single blended rate for Rhode Island will always be wrong.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Rhode Island Lottery
- Regulator type
- Lottery monopoly
- Headline tax
- 61% GGR
- Licence required
- Not yet verified
- Minimum age
- Not yet verified
- Tax base
- The state takes 61% of online slot revenue and 15.5% of online table game revenue, the highest online casino rates in the United States.
- Capital
- Providence
- Currency
- USD
- Official languages
- English
Taxation
- Headline GGR tax
- 61% GGR
- Effective date
- 5 Mar 2024
- Tax base
- The state takes 61% of online slot revenue and 15.5% of online table game revenue, the highest online casino rates in the United States.
Advertising
- Advertising permitted
- No
- Affiliate rules
- Affiliates are not separately licensed. There is no licensed competitive online operator to promote lawfully.
Restrictions
- Rhode Island has a state-run monopoly through the Rhode Island Lottery, so there is no competitive licensed operator whose products may be advertised.
- Promotion of offshore online operators to residents has no lawful basis.
- Advertising rules therefore follow the underlying position on what may lawfully be offered, rather than a separate state advertising code for online gambling.
Outlook
Rhode Island is the strongest available evidence on whether exclusivity plus a very high rate beats competition plus a low one. Small states considering iGaming have a worked example here that did not exist before 2024.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can offer online casino in Rhode Island?
- Only Bally's Corporation, under the Rhode Island Lottery's interactive licence. There is no competitive licensing process.
- What is the online casino tax rate in Rhode Island?
- 61% of online slot revenue and 15.5% of online table game revenue, the highest in the United States.
Sources
- Rhode Island Lottery
State of Rhode Island
Tier 1Accessed 22 Aug 2026 - Online Casino Gaming Will Launch In Rhode Island On Tuesday, March 5th
Bally's Corporation
Tier 1Accessed 22 Aug 2026Published 4 Mar 2024