Mobile betting bill fast tracked in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is ready to start talking about mobile gambling. The State Senate will now be discussing Bill 0037, after it quickly passed through Senate committee.

The Providence Journal reports that the bill, authored by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, would allow the Twin River Lincoln and Twin River Tiverton casinos to operate a mobile betting app. It would not allow outside operators to offer in the state, as it restricts this privilege to “authorized hosting facilities” in Rhode Island.

The two casinos started offering William Hill-run sports betting late last year, as a result of Rhode Island taking advantage of the Supreme Court ruling that opened up the possibility of sports betting in America. Rhode Island was the seventh state to take advantage of the change in laws.

Now that the bill has made its way through committee, it’s expected to be fast tracked to a vote in the Senate as early as Tuesday next week. The senators are likely hoping that getting mobile apps up and running could help with yearly figures. The report notes that the state took a $2.4 million loss on the Super Bowl, with many New Englanders betting on the Patriots to win.