Step by step guide to using Rhode Island sportsbooks
So the good news is that it’s remarkably easy to enjoy sports betting in Rhode Island. Here are the steps you need to take:
📍 STEP 1: Be a RI resident
You will have to be able to prove that you are a Rhode Island resident when using any of the state’s legal sportsbooks. This means having to produce some form of government-issued photo ID such as your driver’s license or passport. You will also have to be at least 18 years old.
🤝 STEP 2: Sign up to the RI online sportsbook:
Sportsbook Rhode Island will make sure that you don’t have to jump through too many hoops to activate an account on its site. All that you need to do is to load up the brand’s site from your browser or download its app and then fill in the registration form with your personal information.
💰 STEP 3: Make a deposit and get the welcome offer:
Now you should be able to make an opening deposit with one of the brand’s accepted payment methods. Don’t forget that this deposit might qualify for a welcome offer that could work to give you extra credit to bet with or even refund any losing bets.
🎲 STEP 4: Start betting in Rhode Island
Once your sportsbook account has been set up you can simply bet on the odds. This means browsing through the sportsbook’s site or app and then clicking on the odds to have them added to your bet slip. Now you can simply enter your stake and submit your bets. Don’t forget that you can even keep adding selections to make a parlay bet.
The legalities of sports betting in Rhode Island
Sports betting has been legal in Rhode Island since 2018 - just a few months after the federal ban was lifted. While RI was quick to join the betting revolution, the Rhode Island Lottery has enforced strict limitations over where and how you can place your bets.
You can only bet in-person at the Bally’s retail sportsbooks in the towns of Tiverton and Lincoln. Plus there is only one online sportsbook allowed to operate within the state - the government-operated Sportsbook Rhode Island. Even though betting is limited to offline in some areas, don't forget to do your research online. We have plenty of guides including
NBA parlay picks
and many other sports to help you make your picks.
You can use the online sportsbook from anywhere within the Ocean State, and the interesting thing is that you only need to be 18 years old or over to bet on sports.
Just note that you cannot bet on Rhode Island’s college sports teams, regardless of where they are playing. Here are the main requirements for betting in RI:
- Have a valid social security number
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be based in Rhode Island when you sign up
- Bet from within the Ocean State
Choosing your perfect RI sportsbook
Let’s face it, you don’t exactly have a massive range of options when it comes to picking a sportsbook in Rhode Island. After all, there is just one online sportsbook, and two retail sportsbooks in the whole of the Ocean State.
As such, it’s a matter of figuring out whether you want to bet on sports online or in-person. Here are the main pros and cons of betting online at the Sportsbook Rhode Island:
Advantages
- Bet anywhere in RI
- Potentially larger range of bets
- Bet anytime of day or night
- Larger range of promo offers
Disadvantages
- May lack the social aspects of a retail sportsbook
Whichever sportsbook you use in Rhode Island, you will need to make sure that you only use those brands that are fully licensed and regulated by the Rhode Island Lottery.
Sportsbooks outside of RI will have geolocation software preventing you from signing up, while offshore betting sites are dangerous, illegal and should be avoided at all costs.
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While Rhode Island might be relatively small, it punches above its weight in its appreciation of sports. The state’s sports fans are loyal supporters of its NCAA teams, and although there aren’t any elite-level teams in RI, many will travel to watch their favorite teams in nearby Massachusetts and New York.
Many Rhode Island sports fans follow the Boston Bruins, while other sporting franchises such as the New England Patriots and even New York Yankees are popular in the state.
Each sportsbook operating in RI will provide plenty of betting markets for each team, and here are examples of just some of the bets that you could be making. Just remember to carry out responsible gambling practices at all times:
- Moneyline bets:
Who will win the game, such as whether the New England Patriots will beat the New York Jets.
- Spread bets:
A bet on the margin of victory such as whether the Boston Celtics will beat Brooklyn Nets by a certain amount of points.
- Totals bets:
Betting whether a statistic will be higher or lower than a number set by the sportsbook. For example, you might bet on whether a hockey game between Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers will have more or less than 5.5 goals scored.
- Player props:
Betting on the statistics of a single player such as the batting statistics of Tyler O'Neill for the Boston Red Sox.
- Futures bets:
Betting on a long-range event such as whether the New York Giants will make the play-offs this year.
- Live bets:
This is where you will be betting live on the sporting action after the game has begun. Just note that the live betting odds will be changing in real-time so you will need to be quick in how you bet.
A quick history of RI sports betting
Rhode Island was fast out of the blocks with its rollout of sports betting laws. Here is a breakdown of how it happened:
2018: Rhode Island sports betting signed into law
This saw the state legislature passing the budget facilitating legal sports betting just months after the federal ban was lifted.
2019: Online betting bill passed
A bill was introduced in 2019 paving the way for mobile sports betting. The S37 bill was passed in the state Senate and House and signed into law by the end of March.
2019: Online sports betting goes live
Sportsbook Rhode Island was launched on September 4, 2019 offering legal online bets all over the Ocean State.
Conclusion - Where will sports betting in Rhode Island go next?
It’s clear that sports fans in Rhode Island face a limited but legal choice in terms of how they can make their bets. Thankfully, each of the online and retail sportsbooks in RI offer you decent odds on a massive number of sports.
Just note that things will change over time and so there is nothing to say that more online sportsbooks won’t ever come to the Ocean State sooner or later. So watch this space to see which RI sportsbooks you could soon be playing at.
Rhode Island sports betting FAQ
⚡ Can you bet on sports in Rhode Island?
Yes, sports betting has been legal in Rhode Island since 2019. You can either bet in-person or via the single sportsbook app.
⭐ Which sportsbook apps are in RI?
At the moment, there is just one licensed sportsbook app - the Sportsbook Rhode Island app.
❓ How old do you have to be to bet on sports in Rhode Island?
You will have to be at least 18 years old and you will need to verify this fact by submitting some form of government-issued photo ID.
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