Massachusetts, Rhode Island Residents Await Sportsbook Opening
Those in and around the Boston area will soon have a sportsbook within a 40 minute to 1-hour drive should the New England Patriots be playing in the 2019 Super Bowl. Providence residence are in even better luck as that sportsbook is set to open just 15 minutes outside the city limits.
Twin Rivers Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island is set to open shortly following a costly delay. There will be some limits to what can be wagered, taxes are likely to be high and online sports betting will not be available, though Rhode Island residents and those throughout New England can still access internationally licensed sportsbooks (billing themselves now as "tax-free").
Delayed opening of the sportsbook has cost the state roughly $12 million, according to reports. The budget estimated Rhode Island would take in $23.5 million in revenue from sports betting through June 30, assuming an Oct. 1 start. While the first week of NFL is critical to all North American-facing sportsbooks, Rhode Island did manage to avoid one of the worst NFL betting weeks (Week 9) for the operating books in decades.
Sports betting will be permitted at Twin River’s casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton, each an hour outside of Boston.
The US Supreme Court abolished decades long prohibition of sports betting back in May.
The state has said that negotiations with the vendor who will manage sports betting services took longer than expected. State Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said he’s frustrated with the delay in the implementation.
Rhode Island will get 51 percent of the revenue. The vendor will get 32 percent and the casino will get 17 percent.
Providence-based IGT and its commercial partner, William Hill U.S., have a five-year agreement with the state to manage sports betting services. The companies are currently testing their platform and anticipate a launch date "around Thanksgiving".
Thus far, New Jersey is among the only states that were able to capitalize early on legalized sports betting along with Mississippi and Delaware. New Jersey has reported better-than-anticipated results.
Both New Jersey and Mississippi have relied heavily on those sports bettors traveling from out of state. In the case of New Jersey, gamblers have traveled from the Philadelphia and New York City regions. Mississippi has seen an influx of people traveling from throughout the Southeast. Its Tunica sportsbooks are easily accessible to those living in Mephis, Tennessee.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
