Bettors in Rhode Island may be able to register their online betting accounts remotely very soon.
Rhode Island’s legislature has passed a bill that would remove the in-person registration requirement for online sports betting in the state.
Now that the bill has been approved by the legislature it will be sent to Governor Gina Raimondo for ratification.
If the Governor approves Amendment H 8097 bettors in the state will be able to create and register online sports betting accounts remotely from anywhere within the state, eliminating the need to visit one of the state’s casino venues to set up an account.
Amendment H 8097
Earlier this month, Representatives Nicholas Mattiello and Marvin Abney introduced amendment H 8097.
The amendment would change the definition of an online gaming account to “an account opened by a patron that such patron shall use for the deposit and withdrawal of funds used for online sports wagering.”
The amendment would also change the existing legal language regarding geolocation so that it will only be necessary “at the time when the player is wagering” and not “when the player logs into the system.”
This means that a bettor’s physical location will be checked before a sports bet is placed.
Sports betting in Rhode Island
Sports betting in Rhode Island was initially restricted to two land-based casinos, which was detrimental to the market. In August 2019, the Twin River branded mobile sports betting app went live in the state.
Now that the state has a mobile betting option, residents can place bets using the mobile app, rather than travel across the state to visit one of the two land-based sportsbooks.
However, bettors that wish to wager on the mobile app must first visit a casino sportsbook to activate their mobile sports betting account. Once the account has been set up, they will be able to wager remotely from anywhere within the state.
