The Rhode Island iGaming bills are another victory for the proponents of an open gambling market across the US, but only a small one. Yet, despite a similar concession being made by West Virginia regulators earlier, not a single poker operator has shown interest in launching in this state either, as the population size simply wasn’t appealing enough.Īs more states continue to join the legal online poker market, we may see a growth of an interstate compact, that would allow operators to accept players from many states all at once, and possibly without having to launch separately in each state.įor the time being, Rhode Island online poker players may have to wait longer than early 2024 for an operator to actually launch, as the market will likely not be appealing enough to any of the major companies in the industry today. State regulators have previously indicated that they would be willing to join the Multi-State Internet Gambling Agreement, which already includes New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and Michigan, and allows players from these states to play in a joint player pool. Rhode Island is one of the smallest states in the US with a population of just 1.1 million, which means that a standalone online poker market would pretty much be doomed to failure. What Will Rhode Island Online Poker Look Like? However, it remains to be seen how the future of online poker in the small state will look, as there are some concerns about the interest of the operators and the way a significant player pool could be created.ġ8+ | BeGambleAware T&Cs Apply | Read full T&Cs

This has made Rhode Island the eight state to make online poker legal, following Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Connecticut.

The Bills legalizing Rhode Island iGaming were signed into power by Governor Daniel McKee, which means Rhode Island should have legal poker options starting as early as 2024. It instructs the Rhode Island Lottery Division to implement, operate, and control iGaming within the state borders.Īccording to the bill, control over iGaming in the state will be given to the popular Bally’s Corporation, which owns the Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort and Tiverton Casino & Hotel facilities in RI. The slow and difficult process of online poker legalization continues in the US, with Rhode Island becoming the latest state to officially legalize the activity within its borders.Ī bill legalizing iGaming, which includes both online casinos and online poker, was passed through the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives.

States that allow legal online poker