Casino closures hit Rhode Island betting market in December
| By Robin Harrison
The closure of Rhode Island’s two casinos for much of December led to the state’s sportsbook handle and revenue falling during the month.
The Bally’s Corporation-owned venues were closed from 29 November to 21 December amid a surge in novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the state.
Once they were permitted to resume operations, opening hours were limited to between 6am and 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until 10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
This had a significant impact on sports betting stakes, which declined to $22.8m, a 28.1% year-on-year decline, according to the latest figures from the Rhode Island Lottery.
This also represented 35.1% drop from November 2020’s $35.1m handle.
After player winnings of $20.2m, this left gross revenue of $2.5m. While revenue was down only marginally compared to the prior year, it fell 59.7% month-over-month.