The Rhode Island Department of Revenue (DOR) has confirmed the long-awaited soft launch of mobile wagering in the state.
The state has opted for a phased launch of the new service, with the Twin River-branded offering going live yesterday afternoon (September 4).
Customers that wish to bet on mobile must first visit the Twin River Casino in Lincoln to activate their mobile accounts. After this initial activation, they can place wagers from anywhere within Rhode Island’s borders.
The state’s other Twin River venue, in Tiverton, will also soon launch mobile wagering with in-person registration, but is yet to confirm when it will go live.
The DOR said that the phased launch will allow for its sportsbook technology team to monitor and refine system performance prior to the start of a wider advertising campaign to promote the new service.
All licensed operators in the state that intend to launch mobile sports betting will be limited to running the Sportsbook Rhode Island application, developed via an agreement between Rhode Island Lottery, International Game Technology, Twin River Worldwide Holdings and William Hill.
Rules and regulations for this approach were set out in mobile betting legislation that Rhode Island Governor, Gina Raimondo, signed into law in March of this year.
The roll out of legal mobile sports betting is expected to have a positive impact on market revenue in Rhode Island, which in July saw revenue from sports wagering slip 61% month-on-month to $827,579. The amounts wagered in the month also dropped 43.5% to $14.7m.
Rhode Island commenced legal sports betting on November 26, 2018 when the Twin River Casino in Lincoln opened its sportsbook, The Tiverton Casino Hotel followed a week later, launching on December 3. In the first fiscal year of mobile wagering, to 30 June 2019, the two properties generated revenue of $6.9m.