AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- GAMBLING AND LOTTERIES (Allows social gaming in private residences and in public taverns or private clubs as long as the gambling is incidental to a bona fide social relationship between the participants and no person other than the participants receive anything of value.)

H7197

2026 -- H 7197
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LC003869
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- GAMBLING AND LOTTERIES

Introduced By:
Representatives O'Brien, Dawson, Costantino, Lima, Azzinaro, Slater,
Potter, Voas, Giraldo, and McEntee

Date Introduced:
January 21, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Sections 11-19-1 and 11-19-18 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-19 entitled
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"Gambling and Lotteries" are hereby amended to read as follows:
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11-19-1. Forms of gambling prohibited.
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Every

Except as provided in §§ 11-19-46 and 11-19-47, every
person who shall, directly
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or indirectly, set up, put forth, carry on, promote, or draw, publicly or privately, any lottery, chance,
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game, or device of any nature or kind whatsoever, or by whatsoever name it may be called, for the
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purpose of exposing, setting for sale or disposing of any money, houses, lands, merchandise, or
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articles of value, or shall sell or expose to sale lottery policies, purporting to be governed by the
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drawing of any public or private lottery, or shall sign or endorse any book, document, or paper
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whatsoever, for the purpose of enabling others to sell, or expose to sale, lottery policies, except as
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authorized in this chapter and in title 41 and chapters 61 and 61.2 of title 42, shall be deemed guilty
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of a felony and shall be imprisoned not exceeding two (2) years or be fined not exceeding two
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thousand dollars ($2,000).
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11-19-18. Keeping of gambling places or devices — Acting as dealer, banker, or
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lookout.
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Every

Except as provided in §§ 11-19-46 and 11-19-47, every
person who shall keep or
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suffer to be kept any building, room, booth, shed, tent, arbor, or any other place, or any automobile,
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bus, coach, van, truck, trainer, railway or railroad car, or any other vehicle in any city or town of
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this state, or in any vessel, boat, or raft upon any of the waters of Narragansett Bay, to be used or

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occupied for the purpose of gambling, or playing at any game or games of chance of any kind
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whatsoever, for money or other valuable consideration, or shall keep, exhibit, or suffer to be kept
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or exhibited upon premises or in a vehicle belonging to that person under his or her control, any
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cards, dice, table, bowls, wheel of fortune, shuffleboard, or billiard table, or any device, implement,
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or apparatus whatsoever to be used in gambling or playing at any game or games of chance for
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money or other valuable consideration, or who shall be guilty of dealing Faro, or banking for others
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to deal Faro, or acting as lookout, gamekeeper, or assistant for the game of Faro or any other
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banking game where money or property is dependent on the result, shall be taken and held to be a
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common gambler and shall be imprisoned not exceeding two (2) years or be fined not exceeding
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five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor less than five hundred dollars ($500).
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SECTION 2. Chapter 11-19 of the General Laws entitled "Gambling and Lotteries" is
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hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections:
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11-19-46. Social gaming permitted.

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(a) For purposes of this section "social gaming" means a game other than a lottery, between
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players where gambling is incidental to a bona fide social relationship between participants and
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where no person other than the players participating in the social game are entitled to receive
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anything of value and provided that none of the participants are involved with professional
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gambling, shall be permitted under this chapter.
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(b) No host of a social game under this chapter shall be guilty of promoting a form of illegal
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gambling when the host, in a private residence, offers gaming allowable under subsection (a) of
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this section; provided, that the participants are invitees of the owner/tenant, and the owner/tenant
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derives no monetary benefit, in the form of entry fees, and does not intend to derive a profit from
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aiding or inducing another to gamble by hosting the event; provided, however, that the host may
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benefit from being a participant in the game.
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11-19-47. Places social gambling permitted.

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(a) Notwithstanding any general law to the contrary, it shall not be illegal for any private
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business, private club or place of public accommodation to allow on its premises:
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(1) Social gaming allowed under § 11-19-46; provided, that the owner or operator of the
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premises derives no monetary benefit from and does not intend to derive a profit from aiding or
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inducing another to gamble by allowing the gaming to occur on the premises; or
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(2) The running of "office pools" based on the result or occurrence of a social or sporting
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event; provided that:
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(i) No money is withheld from the amount paid by the participants by the operator or the
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promoter of the pool;

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(ii) All monies paid by the participants, as an entry fee or otherwise, are paid out to the
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winner(s) based on the result of the pool;
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(iii) That prior to participation each entrant has an equal chance to win the pool;
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(iv) Participants shall be of legal age as provided pursuant to the provisions of § 15-12-1;
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and
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(v) That holders of liquor licenses who desire to run office pools are required to apply for
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a permit to conduct such activities as part of the liquor license. Such holders shall pay a fee of one
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hundred dollars ($100) for said permit to the department of business regulation and display the
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permit prominently along with their liquor license.
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(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a nonprofit organization may petition
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the state police to run a pool, in the same manner as prescribed in § 11-19-31, and withhold an
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amount of the money in the pool for its charitable purposes, as long as:
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(1) The percentage of the money to be withheld from the total amount of the pool does not
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exceed twenty-five percent (25%) and is clearly spelled out prior to the entrants' participation;
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(2) No outside agent or professional fundraisers derive a profit from the activity; and
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(3) The disbursement of proceeds is limited to the pool winner(s), de minimis expense
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incurred in running the pool, and the charity itself.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- GAMBLING AND LOTTERIES
***
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This act would allow social gaming in private residences and in public taverns or private
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clubs as long as the gambling is incidental to a bona fide social relationship between the participants
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and as long as no person other than the participants receive anything of value. It would provide that
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no entry fees or proceeds from the gaming activity be payable to the house, host, owner, or manager
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of the establishment or residence, provided that a social host in a private residence, may participate
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in the game. This act would also authorize a nonprofit organization to petition the state police to
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conduct a game of chance for charitable purposes.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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