§ 42-61.2-2.4. State to conduct sports-wagering hosted by Twin River and the Tiverton gaming facility. (a) The state, through the division of lotteries, shall implement, operate, conduct, and control sports wagering at the Twin River gaming facility and the Twin River-Tiverton gaming facility, once Twin River-Tiverton is licensed as a video-lottery and table-game retailer. In furtherance thereof, the state, through the division, shall have full operational control to operate the sports wagering, including, without limitation, the power and authority to:

(1) Establish, with respect to sports wagering, one or more systems for linking, tracking, depositing, and reporting of receipts, audits, annual reports, prohibited conduct, and other matters determined by the division from time to time;

(2) Collect all sports-wagering revenue indirectly through Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities, require that the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities collect all sports-wagering revenue in trust for the state (through the division), deposit sports-wagering revenue into an account or accounts of the division's choice, allocate sports-wagering revenue according to law, and otherwise maintain custody and control over all sports-wagering revenue;

(3) Hold and exercise sufficient powers over the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities' accounting and finances to allow for adequate oversight and verification of the financial aspects of sports wagering hosted at their respective facilities in Lincoln and Tiverton, including, without limitation:

(i) The right to require the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities to maintain an annual balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and any other necessary information or reports;

(ii) The authority and power to conduct periodic compliance or special or focused audits of the information or reports provided, as well as the premises within the facilities containing records of sports wagering or in which the sports-wagering activities are conducted;

(4) Monitor the sports-wagering operations hosted by the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities and have the power to terminate or suspend any sports-wagering activities in the event of an integrity concern or other threat to the public trust, and in furtherance thereof, require Twin River and Tiverton, respectively, to provide a specified area or areas from which to conduct such monitoring activities;

(5) Through the use of a sports-wagering vendor, define and limit the rules of play and odds of authorized sports-wagering games, including, without limitation, the minimum and maximum wagers for each sports-wagering game. Sports-wagering payoffs shall not be subject to any limitation or restriction related to sports-wagering revenue or lottery revenue;

(6) Establish compulsive gambling treatment programs;

(7) Promulgate, or propose for promulgation, any legislative, interpretive, and procedural rules necessary for the successful implementation, administration, and enforcement of this chapter; and

(8) Hold all other powers necessary and proper to fully effectively execute and administer the provisions of this chapter for the purpose of allowing the state to operate sports wagering hosted by the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities.

(b) The state, through the division and/or the DBR, shall have approval rights over matters relating to the employment of individuals to be involved, directly or indirectly, with the operation of sports wagering at the Twin River and Tiverton gaming facilities.

(c) Nothing in this chapter or elsewhere in the general laws shall be construed to create a separate license governing the hosting of sports wagering in Rhode Island by licensed video-lottery and table-game retailers.

(d) The state, through the division, shall have authority to issue regulations as it deems appropriate pertaining to the control, operation, and management of sports wagering. The state, through DBR, shall have authority to issue regulations as it deems appropriate pertaining to the employment of individuals to be involved, directly or indirectly, with the operations of sports wagering as set forth in subsection (b).

(e) Any list or other identifiable data of sports-wagering players generated or maintained by the sports-wagering vendor or the hosting facility as a result of sports wagering shall be the exclusive property of the division, provided that the hosting facilities shall be permitted to use any list or other identifiable data for marketing purposes to the extent it currently uses similar data, and, as approved by the division for other marketing purposes to directly or indirectly generate additional gaming revenue.

History of Section. (P.L. 2018, ch. 47, art. 4, § 5; P.L. 2018, ch. 70, § 2.)