All posts tagged: Rhode

Rhode Island Senate advances bill expanding sports betting competition

Rhode Island Senate advances bill expanding sports betting competition

Published by skeptic

Rhode Island moved closer to ending its single-operator sports betting model after the state Senate approved legislation that would bring several new sportsbooks into the market and overhaul the way betting revenue is distributed. Rhode Island Senate bill would change state sports betting from being exclusively Bally's-run to having up to 6 mobile apps starting in 2027. Scheduled for floor debate on Thursday. Language below is a good model for states like OR, NH transitioning from 1 mobile app to few or… https://t.co/kaZJRUVtxf pic.twitter.com/qVHKuMdNg6 — Fairplaygov (@fairplaygov) June 3, 2026 Lawmakers passed Substitute A to Senate Bill 3118 on Thursday (June 4). The measure, introduced by Sens. Frank Ciccone, John Burke, and Stefano Famiglietti, would revise state laws covering sports wagering, table games, and video lottery operations. The proposal builds on a wider debate that has been underway in Rhode Island for more than a year. Since sports betting launched in 2019, International Game Technology has operated under an exclusive arrangement that effectively gave the company control of the state’s sports wagering market. Industry observers …

Federal agencies seek injunction against Rhode Island event contract restrictions

Federal agencies seek injunction against Rhode Island event contract restrictions

Published by skeptic

The United States and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have asked a federal judge to block Rhode Island from enforcing state law against federally regulated event contracts, deepening a growing legal battle over the regulation of prediction markets. In a motion for a preliminary injunction filed Friday (May 29) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and reviewed by ReadWrite, the federal agencies argued that the contracts at issue fall under the Commodity Exchange Act and are subject to the Commission’s exclusive authority. The request was filed in litigation brought by Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated exchange that offers event-based contracts tied to outcomes such as sports events, elections, weather, and economic indicators. LATEST: DOJ and CFTC seek injunction blocking Rhode Island's event-contracts ban, arguing federal law gives CFTC exclusive oversight @RWW pic.twitter.com/fV2ICXsoSm — Suswati Basu (@suswatibasu) May 31, 2026 According to the filing, the event contracts Rhode Island seeks to prohibit are “swaps” under the Commodity Exchange Act. The agencies said transactions involving swaps traded on CFTC-registered Designated Contract Markets are …

Federal agencies seek injunction against Rhode Island event contract restrictions

CFTC moves into Rhode Island fight over prediction market authority

Published by skeptic

Federal regulators are stepping into an escalating court battle over prediction markets, backing Kalshi’s challenge to Rhode Island’s attempt to block sports-related event contracts. On Thursday (May 28), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the United States asked to intervene in a case pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The filing focuses on what federal officials describe as a jurisdictional conflict between state gaming regulators and the federal framework governing derivatives markets. As I’ve said before, the @CFTC has the expertise and responsibility to defend its exclusive jurisdiction over commodity derivatives. That's exactly what we've done today by demanding Rhode Island cease its attempts to preempt federal regulation of prediction markets.  Read… https://t.co/k7A3zOHgWf — Mike Selig (@ChairmanSelig) May 28, 2026 According to the motion, the central question is “whether Rhode Island state officials can usurp the CFTC’s jurisdiction and enforce state gaming laws against federally regulated exchanges in connection with the listing of federally regulated event contracts.” Kalshi, which operates as a CFTC-regulated exchange, sued Rhode Island last week over …

Kalshi battles Rhode Island officials as prediction markets face state challenges

Kalshi battles Rhode Island officials as prediction markets face state challenges

Published by skeptic

Kalshi sued Rhode Island officials on Thursday (May 21), accusing the state of trying to block its federally regulated prediction market business through threatened gambling enforcement. The complaint landed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and immediately escalated a widening national fight over sports-related event contracts. The lawsuit names Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, Division of State Lottery Director Mark Furcolo, and Gaming and Athletics Administrator Christina Tobiasz. Kalshi said state officials appeared ready to move against the company over contracts traded on its federally regulated exchange. NEW: Kalshi sues Rhode Island, claiming federal law preempts state gambling enforcement against its prediction markets. @RWW pic.twitter.com/QPlmvQ8hP9 — Suswati Basu (@suswatibasu) May 21, 2026 “Rhode Island’s stated intent to prohibit Kalshi from operating intrudes upon the federal framework that Congress established for regulating the trading of derivatives on federally designated exchanges,” the company said in its complaint. Kalshi runs a prediction market platform regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC. Customers trade contracts tied to election outcomes, economic …

Waymo expands robotaxi coverage more than 20% — larger than Rhode Island

Waymo expands robotaxi coverage more than 20% — larger than Rhode Island

Published by skeptic

Waymo announced a major expansion of its autonomous robotaxi service area, growing to over 1,400 square miles across 11 US cities. That’s an estimated 27% increase from its previous coverage and more territory than the entire state of Rhode Island. The expansion starts in Miami, with Austin, Atlanta, Houston, and the San Francisco Bay Area up next for broader coverage. Growing within existing cities Notably, this isn’t about launching in new cities — Waymo already operates in all of these markets. The expansion is about growing the service area within cities where Waymo has already proven the model works. Based on the most recent data available, Waymo’s total coverage was estimated at roughly 1,100 square miles as of April 2026. The city-by-city breakdown looked approximately like this: Advertisement – scroll for more content Phoenix at ~315 square miles San Francisco Bay Area at ~260 square miles Austin at ~90–130 square miles Los Angeles at ~120 square miles Atlanta at ~65 square miles Miami at ~60 square miles Orlando at ~60 square miles San Antonio at …

US judge blocks Justice Department bid to seize voter data in Rhode Island | Donald Trump News

US judge blocks Justice Department bid to seize voter data in Rhode Island | Donald Trump News

Published by Sam Flores

Ruling is latest loss for Trump administration, which has sought access to state voter data ahead of the US midterms. Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 A federal judge in the United States has dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to access voter data from Rhode Island. The decision on Friday was the latest loss for the administration of President Donald Trump, which has sought to access voter data in dozens of states across the country. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list In the ruling, US District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with election officials and civil rights groups, writing that the Justice Department does not have the authority “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here”. Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore praised the ruling in a statement afterwards. “The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Amore wrote. “But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, …

Rhode Island Bill Would Mandate More School Librarians

Rhode Island Bill Would Mandate More School Librarians

Published by Jenni Sidey

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Book Industry Coalition Opposes Federal Book Banning Effort Nearly 150 book organizations, ranging from publishers to librarians, booksellers to advocacy groups, and more, have all signed on in opposition to HR 7661, the proposed national book banning bill. The statement emphasizes that the bill’s language is intended to further harm queer youth (“It confuses obscenity with identity and stigmatizes vulnerable young people, particularly trans children and teens, based on who they are”) and that it would drain more necessary funds from already-hurting public education institutions. Bill Would Mandate More School Librarians in Rhode Island There is legislation in Rhode Island right now that would mandate a full time school librarian for every building with 250 or more students. In buildings with fewer students, it’d require a half time librarian. Bills like these are essential, especially in a world where there is a literacy crisis. School librarians are a crucial part of helping teach young people …

What to know about the investigation into Catholic priests in Rhode Island and sexual abuse charges

What to know about the investigation into Catholic priests in Rhode Island and sexual abuse charges

Published by Sam Flores

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A new investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that an estimated 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, with the state’s top law enforcement chief warning Wednesday that the scope of the abuse is likely much bigger. The report was released by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose office has been investigating the diocese since 2019. According to Neronha, the church could be doing more to address child sexual abuse. Yet diocese leaders have pushed back at the conclusions from the report, maintaining there are no “credibly accused clergy in active ministry.” Here’s what to know about the investigation. How the diocese handled reports of child abuse The report described church records as “damning,” declaring that the diocese often failed to take the proper steps to protect children from sexual abuse. While clergy abuse has been widely exposed, up until Wednesday’s report, the scope of what took place in Rhode Island had largely been unknown. The report flagged that the diocese often transferred accused …

Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island

Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island

Published by Sam Flores

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades and were protected by bishops more concerned with the church’s reputation than the victims, according to a new report on clergy sexual abuse that echoes findings elsewhere. The report, released Wednesday by Attorney General Peter Neronha, follows a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. Neronha said the full scope of the priest abuse problem in Rhode Island — the smallest U.S. state but the one with the highest Catholic population per capita, at nearly 40% — had long remained elusive. He agreed with victims who say not enough has been done to address the problem long after it was exposed in the nearby Boston diocese in 2002. “If you’re the Diocese of Providence and you’re listening, this is a scandal you need to own and you need to fix,” Neronha told reporters Wednesday. “We can’t slow walk solutions, and we can’t slow walk justice.” Neronha, who was raised Catholic, hopes the report will spur legal …

Frostbitten lizard found in Rhode Island is healing

Frostbitten lizard found in Rhode Island is healing

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. While shoveling his driveway during yet another winter storm, a man in Providence, Rhode Island found something rather unexpected—a very cold giant lizard. Fortunately, the animal rehabilitation experts at the New England Wildlife Center found that besides being very dehydrated and having frostbite on its tongue and toes, the female tegu named Frankie was doing okay.  Tegus are large South American reptiles, so how did Frankie end up in the middle of a snowstorm in New England? Tess Gannaway, a veterinarian at the wildlife center who treated Frankie, tells Popular Science that she was probably someone’s pet.  “Given their size they often roam folk’s homes like dogs or cats and there is a chance that in warmer months Frankie escaped and was surviving on her own outside until the weather got too cold for her to manage,” Gannaway explains. There’s also the more unfortunate possibility that the lizard was recently abandoned. The black on the tip of Frankie’s tongue …