Rhode Island moves to end its sports betting monopoly

[The Buzz]

For six years, Rhode Island online bettors have had only one option, the Sportsbook RI app. It has drawn steady criticism from users and lawmakers, and that monopoly may finally be ending. The Rhode Island Lottery is moving toward adding a second online sports betting operator, with a target selection later this year. In a request for qualifications issued Dec. 2, the Lottery said it plans to award a five-year contract in November 2026 to a company that can offer competitive sports wagering products and services.

Interested companies have until 19 February to submit responses, marking the first concrete step toward expanding the state’s digital sportsbook market beyond the IGT-run Sportsbook RI app.

From The Rhode Island Current:

“The intention is to seek one new app vendor (in addition to SportsbookRI) to begin offering online sports betting after November 2026,” Lottery spokesperson Paul Grimaldi said in an email to Rhode Island Current. “There would be an evaluation period, of unspecified length at the moment, to decide how well the new app is working, being accepted by bettors, and whether it’s adding to the state’s online sports betting revenue.”

Adding one more vendor still falls short of a recommendation in a Lottery-commissioned report published May 1 by Spectrum Gaming Group. The report called for the state to add four to six new online sports betting vendors to stay competitive with neighboring states. Massachusetts has seven vendors, while Connecticut allows three.

IGT, formerly headquartered in Providence before its 2024 acquisition by Las Vegas-based Apollo Global Management Inc., has managed the Sportsbook RI app since September 2019. The app has had mixed reviews from users even as it boasts a 4.4 star rating on Apple’s App Store and a 4.4 on Google Play.

Read more here: https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/...m_medium=email