Sportsbook Rhode Island

Sportsbook Rhode Island

Online Sports Book Review

Overall Rating: 3.3/5

The state of Rhode Island legalized online sports betting in March 2019, and the Sportsbook RI was launched in September of the same year. Sportsbook RI is run by the Rhode Island Lottery and works in partnership with both of Rhode Island’s Twin River Casinos, Twin River Lincoln and Twin River Tiverton. The sportsbook has two separate URLs: SportsBetRI.com and SportsBetRhodeIsland.com. The Twin Rivers Casino websites will bring the user to SportsBetRI.com where they can see odds and upcoming events to bet on, but it is SportsBeRhodeIsland.com where all bets are placed. Before placing any bets, users must fill out an online new player registration form and then visit either Twin River Lincoln or Twin River Tiverton to complete their registration. The casino requires a government-issued ID to complete the process. Once this is done, the player can then use the Sportsbook RI app.

Pros:
  • Easy to use desktop and mobile interface
  • Standard betting odds sitewide
  • Legal and licensed sports betting
Cons:
  • Low number of sports betting options
  • Only one deposit and withdrawal option
  • No promotions or bonuses

FAQs

How can I withdraw my winnings? And how long does the withdrawal process take?

All withdrawals are made through an ACH bank transfer. This process can take up to 2 business days.

Are my winnings taxable?

All Rhode Island online casino winnings must be reported to the IRS when you complete your annual federal tax return. This is done on Form 1044. You will tally up your total winnings and report them under the “other income” section. The winnings must also be added to your state tax return and are taxed according to your tax bracket.

How do I get started?

To get started on the site, new users must create an account for Sportsbook RI. The account requires the user’s full name, gender, email, street address, and the last four digits of their social security number. The site will also run a geolocation search to ensure the user is in Rhode Island.

How do I deposit and is there a minimum?

Users can deposit with through an ACH bank transfer. This is currently the only option for depositing on Sportsbook RI, and there does not appear to be a minimum deposit amount.

Is there a deposit bonus?

There is no deposit bonus for first time users.

Pros

Sportsbook RI has an easy user interface on both their desktop version and their mobile app. Their desktop version is available on both Mac and PC, and their app is available on iOS and Android. The site is simple, straightforward, and easy to use, and the visuals are crisp and nice to look at. A big pro for the Sportsbook RI site and app is that, despite being a monopoly in Rhode Island, the odds on the site are not inflated. They are very comparable to sites in other states where there are competing sportsbooks. This allows all users to feel like they are getting a fair deal and not being ripped off when using the site. Since Sportsbook RI is licensed and legal in Rhode Island, it is the preferable option to betting through an offshore account. Legality allows for users to file any complaints they have to the Rhode Island gaming commission and offers protection against the site dissolving overnight. It is strongly encouraged to avoid using offshore accounts. Sportsbook RI also has a 24/7 player support line which can help any customer with questions about the site. This is a useful tool for all users.

Cons

One of the biggest cons with Sportsbook RI is its lack of sports options to place a bet on. Currently, there are only 10 sports listed on the site. This is severely lacking compared to sites in other states and omits popular betting options like horse racing and eSports. Furthermore, the site does not offer an in-game betting option. In-game betting has become one of the most popular avenues of gambling for sports bettors, so keeping it off the site is puzzling. Since in-game betting is not offered, the site has made no effort to include live stats to its offering. If a bettor has placed a bet on a game, they are forced to go to sites like ESPN or Yahoo to find out the score instead of on the site. There are no bonuses or promotions offered on Sportsbook RI’s site. Since the site does not have any legal competition in the state of Rhode Island, they do not need to incentivize their customers to use their site instead of somewhere else. Sportsbook RI has just one deposit and withdrawal method which is through an ACH bank transfer. This can be frustrating for sports bettors who do not want to put their bank information online. There are customer complaints online asking for the site to add PayPal or other options like that to their deposit and withdrawal options.

How To Place A Bet

After registering, bettors have to place a deposit on the site to open their bankroll. There does not appear to be a deposit minimum, but all deposits must come through an ACH bank transfer. Withdrawals are also done through ACH bank transfer.

Once money is in the user’s bankroll, they can begin placing bets. To place a bet, the user simply has to click on the outcome that they want to bet on and it is added to their bet slip. The bet slip appears on the right side of the screen, and the user can add up to 10 bets to it. On the slip, the user can decide to do a straight up bet, parlay, teaser, or round robin. Once a bet is placed, that selection is cleared, and the user can continue making bets.

Conclusion

Overall, Sportsbook RI is a serviceable option for those looking to make online sports bets. However, some competing sites could definitely help to raise the quality and offerings of Sportsbook RI. Having to travel to a physical casino to complete the signup process can be a major turn off for some people as well. But, using Sportsbook RI is simple and still preferable to an offshore site.

  • Reputation and Licensing: 4.5/5
  • Game Variety: 3/5
  • Game Quality: 4/5
  • Bonuses and Promotions: 0/5
  • Deposits and Withdrawals: 4/5
  • User Experience: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.3/5