Rhode Island bettors wagered $177.5 million across online casino games and sports betting in July, with iGaming once again supplying most of the action.
Online Casino Wagers Climb 27%
Combined sports betting and iGaming wagers increased 24% year over year in July, according to Rhode Island market figures, with online casino play accounting for $152.6 million of the total. That represented a 27% increase from a year earlier.
Slots remained the bigger draw, attracting $106.4 million in wagers during the month. Online table games generated another $46.2 million.
The numbers continue a strong run for Rhode Island’s relatively young iGaming market. Bally’s launched the state’s regulated online casino in March 2024, making Rhode Island the seventh US state to introduce legal iGaming. Bally’s remains the sole online casino operator.
That lack of competition makes Rhode Island something of an oddity among legal US online casino states. Players do not have a menu of rival apps fighting over them with different promotions, loyalty schemes and game libraries. For now, legal online casino play means Bally Casino.
Sports Betting Gets A Summer Lift
Sports betting handle reached $24.8 million in July, up 10% from the corresponding month last year. Online wagers supplied $21.7 million, while Rhode Island’s two retail sportsbooks accounted for roughly $3.1 million.
Sports betting revenue came in at about $2.65 million from online wagering alone, according to industry tracking data. The online hold was roughly 12.2%, meaning sportsbooks kept a healthy slice of every dollar wagered during the month.
July is normally one of the softer months on the US sports calendar, but 2026 had an extra attraction. The FIFA World Cup ran into July and helped lift betting activity in several states. Massachusetts, for example, also reported stronger sportsbook numbers during the month, while North Carolina saw July sports wagers jump 53%.
For Rhode Island bettors, though, the bigger issue is not whether there was enough soccer to bet on. It is how few places there are to place those bets.
A Second Sportsbook Is Finally Coming
Sportsbook Rhode Island, powered by IGT, has effectively had the mobile market to itself since online sports betting began in 2019. That is due to change later this year after the Rhode Island Lottery selected Bally’s for the state’s second online sportsbook license.
Bally’s beat Rush Street Interactive in a process that attracted only those two bidders. Its sportsbook cannot launch before November 26, when IGT’s existing exclusivity expires, although IGT is set to remain involved in Rhode Island betting after receiving a contract extension through 2028.
That gives ordinary Rhode Island bettors at least the prospect of choice, although calling two apps a competitive free-for-all would be generous. Major operators including DraftKings and FanDuel did not enter the licensing process despite operating in nearby states.
Rhode Island’s Small Market Keeps Punching
Through the first half of 2026, combined Rhode Island sports and iGaming wagers had already topped $1 billion. July’s $177.5 million pushes that total further upward and reinforces how quickly online casino betting has become the heavier half of the state’s digital gambling business.
The contrast is hard to miss. Rhode Island players put more than six times as much money through online casino games as they did through sportsbooks in July. Sports betting gets more headlines, particularly during a World Cup summer, but online slots and tables are quietly doing the heavy lifting.
For players, the next meaningful change arrives in late November. The casino side remains a one-brand affair, but sports bettors should finally get another legal app to compare with Sportsbook Rhode Island. In a market where choice has traditionally been scarce, even one extra button on the phone counts as progress.
