Bally’s wins Rhode Island’s second online sportsbook
Table of contents
- The Rhode Island Lottery has selected Bally’s to operate the state’s second online sportsbook, with a contract still to be finalized.
- Only one other company, Rush Street Interactive, submitted an application for the five-year deal, per NBC 10.
- The new platform is expected to launch in November 2026, after the exclusive portion of IGT’s current arrangement ends.
Bally’s has been chosen by the Rhode Island Lottery to operate the state’s second online sportsbook, ending a single-vendor model that had drawn criticism from lawmakers and operators for years.
Bally’s was selected over Rush Street Interactive in a process that attracted just two formal applicants. The contract has not yet been finalized.
A slim field of applicants
Rhode Island Lottery Deputy Director Michael O’Rourke confirmed to NBC 10 that just two companies submitted proposals by the February 2026 deadline.
The state opened its application process in late 2025, following years of pressure to introduce competition into a market exclusively served by IGT’s Sportsbook Rhode Island app since 2019.
Eight operators had expressed interest during a 2025 request-for-information process, including national players such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. Few ultimately filed formal bids.
O’Rourke attributed part of the low turnout to the state’s revenue structure. Rhode Island retains 51% of online sports betting revenue, among the highest state take-ins in the country.
Michael O’Rourke, Deputy Director of the Rhode Island Lottery, said:
“There was a hope we’d get more companies to reply, but they didn’t. I think that was part of the reason some of the companies did not respond.”
Patti Doyle, spokesperson for Bally’s, said:
“Bally’s is thrilled to have been awarded a second sports betting license by the State of Rhode Island. We appreciate the confidence and trust the State has placed in our ability to provide a best-in-class product — built for scalability, innovation, and the evolving demands of modern bettors — which will generate additional revenue to benefit the Rhode Island taxpayers.”
Revenue structure
Under the state’s existing framework, the 49% operator share is split between an online vendor (32%) and the physical sportsbook host (17%).
In IGT’s current arrangement, IGT holds the online share and Bally’s collects the facility fee. As both the incoming online operator and the host of the state’s only two physical sportsbooks, Bally’s stands to consolidate a greater share of that revenue split under its new deal.
Online sports betting in Rhode Island generated $26.7 million in revenue from last July through the end of March 2026, per Rhode Island Lottery figures, with the state retaining approximately $13.6 million.
IGT will continue powering statewide retail and mobile sports betting under a two-year contract extension signed in January 2026, keeping it active through at least November 2028. Both operators will run concurrently once Bally’s platform goes live.
Pressure for more competition
The addition of a second operator falls short of what some advocates had sought. A Spectrum Gaming Group study commissioned by the state recommended adding between three and five operators.
Sports betting revenue declined 3.2% in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, with $18.6 million transferred to the state’s general fund, down from $19.2 million the prior year, per the Rhode Island Office of the Auditor General.
A bill before the Rhode Island General Assembly would expand the number of online vendors beyond two and reduce the state’s percentage of revenue from each, a trade-off supporters argue would ultimately generate more total income for taxpayers.
Bettors will gain their first alternative to the current single-vendor setup once Bally’s launches. The industry will be watching to see if that competition translates into meaningful revenue growth or accelerates calls for broader market liberalization.
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