Rhode Island Online Gambling Bill Revisited, Heads to House Floor

Rhode Island legislators have revisited H5643 which proposed individuals under the age of 21 caught online gambling as a misdemeanor. Last Tuesday, the committee reconsidered the bill to amend the state’s 2023 iGaming law. The result was a 10-5 vote, which effectively advances the bill into the chamber’s floor.

Rep. Gregory Costantino sponsored a bill penalizing 18- to 20-year-olds for gambling in real money online casinos. Specifically, violators who are caught could face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The committee initially rejected Costantino’s proposal 7-5 on April 22 over concerns about criminalizing legal sports betting for 18-year-olds. However, House rules allow a vote reconsideration if requested by a majority voter while the bill remains with the committee.

Representative Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat who initially voted against the bill, was the one who led the motion. Several committee members also changed their stance, including Rep. Julie Casimiro and Rep. Marie Hopkins. Both switched their votes to support the bill.

Other Rhode Island Bills Have Also Been Reconsidered

Rep. Knight also noted that the committee reconsidering bills is unusual, it’s not unheard of. Chamber spokesperson Larry Berman also remarked that House committees reconsidered three bills in 2024. This year, they’ve reconsidered five bills out of 114 advanced to the House floor.

The committee reconsidered H5643 over concerns that high school students might become addicted to iGaming. Bally’s Corp. runs Rhode Island’s only iGaming app and manages both of the state’s casinos.

Since legalizing USA online casinos in 2023, lawmakers have worried about high school students becoming addicted to virtual casinos. Therefore, they introduced the original age restriction to address those addiction concerns.

The bill is moving to the House floor for a full vote, though officials haven’t scheduled a date yet. Meanwhile, Sen. Frank Ciccone is managing the companion bill in the Senate.

The Senate Committee on Gaming and Labor has decided to hold the bill for further study.