Rhode Island legislature recently passed a bill that could remove the requirements for in-person registration for online sports betting in the state. The law will allow bettors in the state to register for online betting accounts.

A new bill

A new bill passed in the Rhode Island legislature will soon remove the requirement for in-person registration for online sports betting. The bill has been approved by the lawmakers and is now against ratification from Governor Gina Raimondo. If Amendment H 8097 is approved, then they will be able to register for online sports betting accounts as long as they are located within the state. This will eliminate the need for bettors to travel physically to the casino and register themselves.

What is Amendment H 8097?

Amendment H 8097 was introduced by Nicholas Mattiello and Marvin Abney. The amendment will be changing the definition of online gaming accounts in the state. It will now be defined as “an account opened by a patron that such patron shall use for the deposit and withdrawal of funds used for online sports wagering.”

The amendment will also make some exchanges to the existing legal language that is related to the geolocation of the player. It suggests that the geolocation will be applicable only when a person is wagering and not when the player logs into the system. This means that the apps/services will be accessing the location of a bettor before they are allowed to place bets.

Sports betting in the state was initially permitted in its two land-based casinos only. However, it eventually became detrimental to the market. Mobile sports betting began in August 2019 with Twin River. Now, residents of the state will get more options to place bets using their mobile betting apps without having to visit any of the two physical sportsbooks.

It will be essential for the bettors to wager on mobile apps first.