Rhode Island Statewide Rule

Rhode Island Caps Casino Gaming At Two Sites

Heavy RestrictionsApplies statewide across Rhode Island (2026)

Key Facts

Authorized facilities: Bally's Twin River (Lincoln), Bally's Tiverton
Statewide cap: No more than two facilities, R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2(b)
Expansion vote: Statewide + host-municipality referendum required, R.I. Const. art. VI § 22
Relocation rule: Post-Nov. 4, 2014 site moves also need a local referendum
Licensing agencies: DBR Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing; State Lottery Division
State control: Lottery division holds full operational control over gaming
Tiverton opening condition: Couldn't open until DOT roundabout project #0103S was done

Last verified: August 21, 2026

Summary

Rhode Island allows casino gaming at exactly two sites: Bally's Twin River in Lincoln and Bally's Tiverton, both licensed pari-mutuel facilities under R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2(b). No city or town outside those two can host a casino. Adding a third location, expanding what games are offered, or moving an approved casino within its own town all require a statewide referendum plus a matching local referendum under R.I. Const. art. VI, § 22.

R.I. Const. art. VI, § 22: "No act expanding the types or locations of gambling which are permitted within the state or within any city or town therein or expanding municipalities in which a particular form of gambling is authorized shall take effect until it has been approved by the majority of those electors voting in a statewide referendum and by the majority of those electors voting in said referendum in the municipality in which the proposed gambling would be allowed." R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2(b): "At any one time, there shall be no more than two (2) pari-mutuel licensee facilities in which video lottery games are conducted, one located in the town of Lincoln, and one located either in the city of Newport or in the town of Tiverton."

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Full Breakdown

' Newport Grand held that second slot until November 2014, when statewide voters and separate majorities in both Newport and Tiverton approved shifting it to Twin River-Tiverton at the intersection of William S. Canning Boulevard and Stafford Road. I. Gen. 3, which required certification from the secretary of state (statewide result), the Tiverton board of canvassers (local result), and licenses from both the Department of Business Regulation's Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing (pari-mutuel license) and the Department of Revenue's State Lottery Division (video lottery and casino-gaming licenses) before table games could start.

The statute also barred Twin River-Tiverton from opening state-operated casino gaming until RIDOT finished the roundabout project at that same intersection (DOT project #0103S), which was due by July 1, 2018. Lincoln voters separately approved live table games at Twin River in a 2012 referendum. I. art. VI, § 22, added by voters in 1994 and amended in 2014: any act expanding the types of gambling permitted, expanding which municipalities may host a given form of gambling, or, since the 2014 amendment, relocating an already-approved casino within its own city or town, needs majority approval in both a statewide referendum and a referendum confined to the host municipality.

The two results are certified separately: the secretary of state certifies the statewide vote, and the local board of canvassers certifies the municipal vote to the secretary of state. 2-2(b) controls, and no other Rhode Island municipality can add a casino on its own initiative.

Violations & Penalties

There's no local zoning route around this: a municipality cannot approve a casino administratively. Any facility outside Lincoln and Tiverton, or any relocation without both referenda, would operate without a license from the Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing or the State Lottery Division. The Lottery Division holds full operational control over both authorized sites and can suspend or terminate casino-gaming activity at either facility if it identifies an integrity concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a third Rhode Island city or town get a casino?

Only through the same two-step process used for Tiverton: a majority "yes" vote in a statewide referendum plus a majority "yes" vote in a referendum held in the specific city or town where the casino would sit, per R.I. Const. art. VI, § 22. Absent both votes, R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2(b) caps the state at two licensed facilities, one in Lincoln, one in Newport or Tiverton.

Why did Newport Grand close and Tiverton open instead?

Voters approved swapping the state's second site from Newport to Tiverton in November 2014, a statewide referendum plus separate majorities in both Newport and Tiverton, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-61.2-2.3. Twin River-Tiverton couldn't begin state-operated casino gaming until RIDOT finished the William S. Canning Boulevard/Stafford Road roundabout project.

Who actually licenses and controls the two casinos?

The Department of Business Regulation's Division of Gaming and Athletics Licensing issues the pari-mutuel license, and the Department of Revenue's State Lottery Division licenses video lottery and table games and keeps "full operational control," including the power to set game types and suspend operations over integrity concerns.

Does a municipality get to change gambling later without a new vote?

No. Since the 2014 amendment, even relocating an already-approved casino within its own city or town requires majority approval in a fresh local referendum, and any further expansion of gambling types statewide still needs the statewide vote too, per R.I. Const. art. VI, § 22.

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