Rhode Island lawmakers vote for sports betting

Rhode Island is about to join the roster of US states that have passed sports betting legislation in the wake of the recent US Supreme Court decision overthrowing the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

The state House passed the necessary legislation under an appropriations bill with a 66-7 vote Tuesday, and the proposal unanimously moved out of the Senate Finance Committee on the same day before reaching the full Senate floor and passing Wednesday.

The legislation now awaits Governor Gina Raymondo’s signature into state law. The governor’s 2019 budget includes a line item of $23.5 million in sports betting wagering for the state.

The new bill would allow for sports betting at the state’s two tribal-owned casinos, Twin Rivers and Tiverton.

It does not include the ‘integrity fee’ that the professional sports leagues have been demanding.

The legislation includes a breakdown of where revenue from in-person, on-site sports betting will go – 51 percent to the state, 32 percent to the state’s gaming vendor, IGT, and 17 percent to the casinos themselves. There is provision for a $100,000 annual payment to the towns of Lincoln and Tiverton, for “hosting” sports betting facilities.

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