Twin River's Taylor Says Sports Betting Will Be a Very Different Experience than Las Vegas

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Twin River's Taylor Says Sports Betting Will Be a Very Different Experience than Las Vegas

Twin River Chair John Taylor
Twin River Chairman John Taylor tells GoLocalProv’s News Editor Kate Angle that the sports book experience at Twin River, if approved, will look very different experience than in Las Vegas.

Appearing on GoLocal LIVE, Taylor said the new venue will be designed to create a superior gaming experience that is more fun for the gambler.

He says the "Lottery will be the provider of the technology and the bookmaking services." As a result, potential competitors like FanDuels and DraftKings will have obstacles in Rhode Island. Fortune magazine reported this week, "This [the Supreme Court decision] is huge news for daily fantasy sports companies like FanDuel and DraftKings, as sports gambling will account for a big chunk of their business. Ironically enough, both companies have long argued that daily fantasy sports, in which users can win cash prizes in exchange for cash entry fees, is legal because it’s technically a game of skill, not a game of chance."

Taylor says the new form of gambling allowed by the recent Supreme Court decision will be focused on a younger demographic -- "it will be more social."

Las Vegas style venue
Earlier this week GoLocal reported that In the short-term, Governor Gina Raimondo’s budget is dependent on sports betting to the tune of $23.5 million. Rhode Island’s estimate is based on data produced a year ago by a gambling industry-funded research group. 

RI’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jonathan Womer said he believes Rhode Island can implement a sports betting program faster than Massachusetts and Connecticut.

“We think we can beat our neighbors to market,” said Womer in an interview on Tuesday night.

But, when asked about other Rhode Island failed or delayed technology rollouts such as UHIP, the Division of Motor Vehicles, and the most recently delayed truck toll gantries. This week, the DMV's driver license services were down for two days.

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