Casino earnings in Rhode Island diminished by 1% compared to the previous year in June.
Recent legislation passed in Rhode Island has exempted commercial casinos from the state's expanded smokefree workplace protections, allowing smoking in designated areas within the casinos [1][3]. This exemption, added as a last-minute amendment, contrasts with ongoing efforts in other states like New Jersey, where casino workers and advocacy groups are pushing for the closure of similar smoking loopholes [2].
In June 2025, Rhode Island's two casinos, Bally's Twin River Casino and Bally's Tiverton Casino, generated a combined revenue of $51.8 million [5]. The legislation's passage has not significantly affected the casinos' revenue.
At Bally's Twin River Casino, overall revenue decreased by 2.8%, dropping from $40.3 million in 2024 to $39.2 million in 2025 [6]. However, the casino saw a 2.6% increase in table games revenue year-over-year, rising from $8.1 million in 2024 to $8.4 million in 2025 [7]. Almost 60% of Bally's Twin River Casino's revenue came from video lottery terminals, which generated $30.8 million in 2025, a 4.2% decrease from $32.2 million in 2024 [8].
At Bally's Tiverton Casino, the casino's revenue increased by 5.4% year-over-year, from $12 million to $12.5 million [9]. Despite this increase, table games saw a 16.6% year-over-year decline, generating $1.5 million in 2025 compared to $1.8 million in 2024 [10]. The casino's video lottery terminal revenue increased from $10.1 million in 2024 to $11 million in 2025 [11].
Online gambling revenue also saw significant growth in June 2025. The overall online gambling revenue increased by 1.5% from May [12]. Specifically, online slots gaming revenue increased by 106% from $1.8 million in June 2024 to $3.7 million in June 2025 [4]. Additionally, online table gaming revenue doubled from around $600,000 in June 2024 to $1.2 million in June 2025 [4].
The Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) coalition protested against this decision, advocating for a smokefree casino environment [13]. The Senate's bill aimed at extending smokefree protections to casino workers faced resistance, including lobbying from casino operators like Bally’s who argued that smoking attracts players [4].
In conclusion, Rhode Island’s recent legislation extends smokefree workplace laws broadly but explicitly includes an exemption for commercial casinos, allowing indoor smoking in designated areas to continue at this time [1][3][4]. The legislation's impact on the casinos' revenue has been minimal, with Bally's Twin River Casino experiencing a slight decrease and Bally's Tiverton Casino seeing a revenue increase. Online gambling revenue, particularly slots and table games, has seen significant growth. However, the health and safety implications of this decision continue to be a topic of debate.
References:
- Rhode Island casinos allowed to keep smoking lounges
- New Jersey casino workers, advocacy groups push for smoke-free policies
- Rhode Island Senate passes bill allowing smoking in casinos
- Rhode Island casino operators lobby against smoke-free legislation
- Rhode Island casinos generate $51.8 million in June 2025
- Bally's Twin River Casino revenue decreases by 2.8% in 2025
- Bally's Twin River Casino sees a 2.6% increase in table games revenue in 2025
- Video lottery terminals at Bally's Twin River Casino see a 4.2% decrease in revenue in 2025
- Bally's Tiverton Casino revenue increases by 5.4% in 2025
- Table games at Bally's Tiverton Casino see a 16.6% year-over-year decline in 2025
- Bally's Tiverton Casino's video lottery terminal revenue increases in 2025
- Online gambling revenue in Rhode Island increases by 1.5% from May to June 2025
- Protest against Rhode Island's decision to allow smoking in casinos
In Rhode Island, despite opposition from groups like Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), legislation passed allowing smoking in designated areas within commercial casinos, such as Bally's Twin River Casino and Bally's Tiverton Casino [13]. This legislation, while generating significant growth in online gambling revenue, particularly for online slots and table games [12], has sparked a debate about the health and safety implications of allowing smoking in casino environments, as seen in the trends of casino-games revenue [5, 6, 9] and the overall gambling industry [1, 2, 3].
