State gambling regulators are laying the groundwork to possibly expand online sports betting options beyond the single app run by Rhode Island’s exclusive lottery equipment and technology provider.
Eight firms responded to a preliminary call for interest issued over the summer by the Rhode Island Lottery, soliciting feedback from sports wagering service providers who might want a slice of the state’s small sportsbook market.
Among those responding to the request for information was Brightstar, formerly known as International Game Technology (IGT), which has the state’s exclusive contract to run Rhode Island’s digital sportsbook through November 2026.
Rhode Island is one of four states — including New Hampshire, Delaware, and Montana — with only one betting app.
IGT, and since June, Brightstar, has managed the Sportsbook RI app since 2019. The app has had mixed reviews from users. Its reputation took a hit Sept. 7 during the first Sunday of the NFL season after its servers went down for 75 minutes, just ahead of the 4 p.m. games.
“This was unexpected and not a planned maintenance outage, which was resolved as quickly as possible,” the Lottery posted on X.
The other respondents to the request for information were Bally’s, Fanatics, Kambi, DraftKings, BetMGM, OpenBet, and FanDuel.
Lottery officials will use feedback from responding companies to inform a request for proposals, which might be ready to go out later this month, Lottery spokesperson Paul Grimaldi said.
“(The) Lottery is moving ahead with its examination of whether adding more apps is feasible,” Grimaldi said in an email to Rhode Island Current.
Submissions from the eight companies that responded by the Lottery’s Aug. 22 deadline were not made publicly available. Rhode Island Current reached out to each company for comment.
Bally’s Patti Doyle spokesperson Patti Doyle said the Providence-based casino giant continues to “have an interest in a Rhode Island sportsbook RFP.”
Kevin Hennessey, spokesperson for Fanatics based in Jacksonville, Florida, said the company “publicly supports an open and competitive market in Rhode Island for legal sports betting.”
Kambi spokesperson Peter Ranere declined to comment.
Brightstar spokesperson Mike DeAngelis acknowledged a request for comment, but had not responded as of 4:30 pm.
Spokespeople for BetMGM, OpenBet and FanDuel did not respond to requests for comment.
DraftKings spokesperson Parker Winslow declined to comment on the company’s response but stated the Boston-based company “continually explores opportunities” to expand its offerings. The company had supported legislation introduced earlier in March by Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone to allow between three to five sports betting vendors to open by July 2026. Ciccone’s bill cleared the Senate during the final weeks of the 2025 legislative session, but never reached the House floor. A House companion bill by Rep. Matthew Dawson, an East Providence Democrat, failed to make it out of committee.
Proponents of the legislation tried to make the case that bumping the number of online sports offerings would help boost revenue lost to neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts in recent years.
Massachusetts, which launched online sports betting in March 2023, collected over $11 million in taxable revenue solely from wagers on the seven apps available there in August of 2025, according to data from the commonwealth’s Gaming Commission.
Connecticut, which has three online sports betting vendors, saw over $13 million in revenue in August, according to data compiled by the state’s Department of Consumer Protection.
Rhode Island drew far less than both states, nearly $3 million in online sportsbook revenue, in August, according to Lottery data.
Poll: Rhode Island lags regional peers in sports betting
Patrick Kelly, a professor of accountancy at Providence College who studies gambling, said revenues from an expanded market would likely only be marginal.
“I don’t think it’s going to be much of a game changer,” he said.
Most bettors, Kelly said, gamble in their own states. And Rhode Island isn’t as into betting compared to its regional peers, according to a recent survey from the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
The poll released Oct. 1 looked at the frequency of sports betting across the four New England states where such wagers are legal, surveying 3,671 residents from across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island between Sept. 17 and 23.
Massachusetts and Connecticut residents were most likely to bet on sports, with 18% of Bay State respondents saying they wagered on games at least occasionally. In Connecticut, the rate was 17%.
Rhode Island came in second to last with 15% of respondents saying they placed bets on sports at least occasionally. UNH’s survey does not list a number of participants by state, but Zachary Azem, project director at the university’s survey center, said in an email that 737 Rhode Island residents took part.
New Hampshire residents were the least likely to wager on games, with 10% saying they bet at least occasionally.
The margin of sampling error for the survey is 3.6%.
The primary draw in upping Rhode Island’s online vendors, Kelly said, would be for young college students living in neighboring states who can’t yet legally bet in Connecticut or Massachusetts, both of which require online bettors to be at least 21 years old.
Anyone 18 or older can bet on games in Rhode Island. And Kelly said he’s concerned that more offerings could get more students hooked, particularly young men on whom companies target their marketing efforts.
“If you bring in all these other sports betting platforms, get ready for the advertising,” he said. “They’re going to have commercials on all the time.”
If you or somebody you know is dealing with gambling issues, contact Problem Gambling Services, which can be reached 24/7 at (401) 499-2472.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
