Rhode Island Surpasses $150 Million in Monthly Betting Revenue
The gambling sector in Rhode Island had a remarkable start to 2025, with the state revealing a total betting handle exceeding $150.9 million in January. This impressive figure was complemented by the announcement from the office of the Auditor General that Rhode Island’s gambling taxes had generated over $434 million in 2024.
The revenue figures for January are particularly striking considering the state’s relatively small population of 1.1 million residents. To provide some context, larger states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan reported revenues of $529.1 million, $210.1 million, and $331.2 million, respectively, during the same period, despite each having nearly ten times the population of Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Lottery, which operates the sole legal online sportsbook platform in the state, saw significant earnings in 2024. The video lottery and casino offerings brought in over $320.5 million, with the popular video lottery terminals contributing 71.9% of the state’s total gambling revenues for the year.
One contributing factor to Rhode Island’s high revenue relative to its population was the increased interest in national lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions, which saw three jackpots surpassing $1 billion in 2024. Additionally, online casino games and table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette played a significant role in the state’s gambling revenue, generating a total of $50.9 million.
While sports betting revenue accounted for only 9.6% of Rhode Island’s gambling revenues in the same period, industry experts point to the sector’s substantial tax contributions. With a tax rate of 51% on sports betting revenue, Rhode Island’s tax structure has helped solidify the state as a gambling success story in the United States.