Casino closures hit Rhode Island betting market in December
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.