Rhode Island Lottery Picks Bally’s to Run State’s Second Online Sports Betting Platform
The Rhode Island Lottery has chosen Bally’s Corporation to operate the state’s second online sports betting platform after evaluating competing bids and the selection ends a period of exclusivity held by IGT since 2019 while positioning the new service for a November 2026 debut at the company’s Lincoln and Tiverton casino locations.
State officials confirmed the decision in May 2026 and noted that Bally’s proposal outperformed the BetRivers offering submitted by Rush Street Interactive during the competitive review process and the timeline calls for full integration across both Bally’s properties well before the winter sports season begins.
Current Landscape and Shift From Single Operator Model
Online sports betting in Rhode Island has operated under IGT’s exclusive agreement since the first platform launched in 2019 and during that stretch the sole operator handled all wagers placed through the state’s digital channels while the Rhode Island Lottery maintained regulatory oversight and collected its share of revenue and the move to add a second platform reflects ongoing efforts to broaden access and increase overall activity without altering the existing regulatory framework.
Revenue Performance Through Recent Months
Data compiled by the Rhode Island Lottery shows that online sports betting produced a total handle of $26.7 million between July and March while the state received approximately $13.6 million from those operations and those figures cover the most recent complete reporting period available at the time of the announcement and they provide a baseline for projecting future growth once the second platform enters the market.
The existing platform continues to process wagers daily while preparations advance for the expanded system and observers note that the addition of Bally’s will create direct competition for the first time since legalization and the change arrives at a point when neighboring states have already moved toward multi-operator models.
Details of the Bally’s Selection and Timeline
Bally’s will integrate its online sports betting technology at the Lincoln and Tiverton casino sites and the November 2026 launch date gives the company roughly six months from the May 2026 announcement to complete licensing, testing, and marketing preparations and the dual-location rollout means players in different regions of the state will gain access through the same branded platform.
The bidding process required each applicant to demonstrate financial stability, technical capabilities, and responsible gaming measures and Bally’s submission satisfied those criteria more effectively than the competing BetRivers proposal according to the evaluation conducted by lottery officials and the outcome marks the first time Rhode Island has opened its online sports betting market to a second licensed operator.
Operational Changes and Market Expansion
Once active the Bally’s platform will sit alongside the current IGT service and both operators will report to the Rhode Island Lottery under the same tax and regulatory structure while the presence of two platforms is expected to increase total handle over time because users will have additional choices in odds, promotions, and interface design and the state will continue to receive its established percentage of revenue from each operator independently.
Casino properties in Lincoln and Tiverton will host the physical infrastructure needed for the new system including servers and compliance equipment and staff training programs are already scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026 so that customer support teams can handle inquiries once the platform goes live.
Conclusion
The selection of Bally’s completes a key step in Rhode Island’s plan to expand its online sports betting offerings and the November 2026 launch at the Lincoln and Tiverton locations will bring the second platform into operation while ending the single-operator arrangement that has been in place since 2019 and the revenue data from the most recent reporting period shows steady activity that state officials will monitor closely once competition begins.