Sweepstakes Casinos in Rhode Island (2026)

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Rhode Island?

Yes. Sweepstakes casinos are legal to play in Rhode Island, and neither the General Assembly nor the Rhode Island Lottery has acted against the dual-currency model. Rhode Island’s gambling statutes in Chapter 11-19 of the General Laws prohibit setting up or running unauthorised lotteries and games of chance, but they, like the common law, require consideration: a player must pay for the chance to win. Sweepstakes casinos sell Gold Coins that cannot be redeemed and give away the prize-eligible Sweeps Coins through purchase bonuses, daily logins and free mail-in requests, so no consideration is paid for the chance. On that basis every major brand accepts Rhode Island players.

Rhode Island is unusual in that it already has a fully legal online casino. Bally Casino RI, run by Bally’s Corporation under an exclusive arrangement with the Rhode Island Lottery, launched on March 5, 2024. The Lottery therefore has a direct commercial interest in the sweepstakes question, yet its enforcement so far has been directed at offshore real-money sites rather than social sweepstakes casinos.

Recent developments

• June 2023: Governor Dan McKee signs Senate Bill 948, making Rhode Island the seventh US jurisdiction to authorise online casino gaming, with Bally’s as the sole operator.
• March 5, 2024: Bally Casino RI goes live with online slots and table games, including live-dealer games streamed from Bally’s Twin River Lincoln.
• October 2025: the Rhode Island Lottery issues cease-and-desist orders to six unlicensed offshore gambling sites, including BetUS, BetOnline, Bovada, MyBookie, Wild Casino and YouWager, and the Rhode Island State Police open an investigation when the sites keep taking bets. No sweepstakes casino is named.
• June 2026: four Democratic senators (John Burke, Frank Ciccone III, Todd Patalano and David Tikoian) file Senate Bill 748 to end Bally’s mobile sports betting exclusivity, directing the Lottery not to renew existing vendor contracts and to award at least five sportsbook contracts. The bill is referred to the Senate Labor and Gaming Committee.
• 2025-2026: no bill to ban, license or tax sweepstakes casinos has been introduced.

How Rhode Island law treats sweepstakes and gambling

Chapter 11-19 of the Rhode Island General Laws, Gambling and Lotteries, is the criminal framework. Under Section 11-19-1, a person who sets up or conducts an unauthorised lottery or game of chance is guilty of a felony punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to $2,000. Lesser offences in the chapter, such as selling or possessing lottery tickets and betting-related violations, are misdemeanors with fines of $100 to $500 or up to three months in jail. The statutes target operators and promoters; casual players of a lawful no-purchase-necessary sweepstakes commit no offence.

Legal gambling is administered by the Rhode Island Lottery, a division of the Department of Revenue, which runs the lottery, oversees the two casinos’ video lottery terminals and table games, and holds the sports betting and iGaming programmes. Charitable gaming (bingo and raffles) is licensed by the Rhode Island State Police Charitable Gaming Unit. No agency licenses sweepstakes casinos. We are not lawyers; if a point matters to you, read the statute or ask one.

What Rhode Island players should check

• Age: 18. Rhode Island’s legal gambling age is 18 for the lottery, the casinos and sports betting, and sweepstakes casinos follow suit. Some sites still require 21.
• Location: geolocation is enforced. Rhode Island is served, but neighbouring Connecticut banned the model in 2025, so your access changes when you cross the state line.
• Identity checks: expect ID verification before your first redemption, with typical minimums of 50 to 100 Sweeps Coins.
• Taxes: prizes are taxable federally and by Rhode Island, whose income tax rates run from 3.75 to 5.99 percent.
• Not the Lottery’s casino: Bally Casino RI is the only online casino regulated in Rhode Island. Sweepstakes sites are not licensed by the Lottery and do not carry its protections.

Other legal ways to play in Rhode Island

Rhode Island has two casinos, both owned by Bally’s: Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort and Bally’s Tiverton Casino and Hotel, offering slots, table games and retail sportsbooks. Sports betting arrived in November 2018 at the casinos and went mobile in September 2019 through the Sportsbook Rhode Island app; SB 748 would open that market to competition. Online casino gaming has been legal since 2024 through Bally Casino RI. The Rhode Island Lottery sells draw games, instant tickets and Keno and runs an iLottery. Charitable bingo and raffles are permitted. There is no tribal casino and no live racing in the state.

Staying up to date

Stakester follows the General Assembly, the Rhode Island Lottery and every operator’s Rhode Island policy. This page and the casino list are updated as soon as anything changes.