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LEADING OFF
Happy Monday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Biggest Little. I’m Dan McGowan and the Bruins were far more fun than “Big Little Lies” last night. Send tips to Dan.McGowan@globe.com.
If you made the trip to either of Rhode Island’s casinos to bet on the NFL last season, you probably didn’t enjoy waiting an hour or two to play your $10 parlay. At one point, the lines were so long that Twin River set up a beer vendor to calm people down.
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But officials say year two of sports betting should improve, as mobile gaming remains on track to roll out for the start of football season.
Rhode Island Department of Revenue spokesperson Paul Grimaldi said the state’s current plan is to begin testing the mobile betting app in August, simulating thousands of bets over several weeks leading up to week one of the NFL season. State lawmakers approved mobile wagering earlier this year.
Grimaldi said bettors who wish to use the app still will have to travel to one of the casinos to verify their identity the first time, but they’ll be able to deposit money into their gambling accounts remotely after that.
Mobile betting could provide the revenue boost Rhode Island hasn’t quite seen since sports gambling started last November. In both New Jersey and Nevada, more than 70 percent of all wagers are coming in through computers or phones.
Even with those long lines last season, the state’s revenue numbers have not been strong. (A big part of that is the Pats winning the Super Bowl, which caused all sports books to take a hit.)
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While Twin River and Tiverton posted their most profitable month yet in April – netting just under $2 million – it appears unlikely the state will hit its $11.5 million goal by the time the fiscal year ends June 30.
NEED TO KNOW
Rhode Map wants to hear from you. If you’ve got a scoop or a link to an interesting news story in Rhode Island, e-mail us at RInews@globe.com.
• The Globe’s Ed Fitzpatrick has a fascinating story on one of the most overlooked parts of the gun control debate: how Rhode Island’s laws around ammunition differ from those in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
• Raytheon, one of the largest private employers on Aquidneck Island, is merging with United Technologies. The new company, called Raytheon Technologies Corporation, will be headquartered in the Boston area. Raytheon employees: Tell me what you’re hearing. E-mail dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
• The only thing better than playoff football is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins evened things up last night with a win at St. Louis, and will head home for a winner-take-all game Wednesday night. Check out the Globe’s awesome coverage of the entire series.
• Here’s the latest on the shooting of former Red Sox star David Ortiz .
• With the Senate Judiciary Committee set to take up the abortion rights bill tomorrow, it appears as though a challenger to Chairwoman Erin Lynch Prata has emerged in Warwick. Kendra Anderson, a Democrat who lives in District 31, filed a notice of organization with the Board of Elections last week.
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• Yes, that was Congressman David Cicilline all over the cable news shows on Sunday morning. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” he largely dodged a question about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly claiming President Trump belongs in prison, but later said “I don’t have any difficulty with those words.” On CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” he said the goal of the antitrust investigation he’s leading into the world’s largest technology companies is to look at the “monopoly moment that we’re in and figure out how we get the market working.”
WHAT’S ON TAP TODAY
Each day, Rhode Map offers a cheat sheet breaking down what’s happening in Rhode Island. Have an idea? E-mail us at RInews@globe.com.
• US Senator Jack Reed will be at the University of Rhode Island this morning to announce that the Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence is getting another $20 million in federal funding. The university says almost every higher education institution in the state will benefit from the grant.
• This afternoon, the House Finance Committee will take up URI’s proposal to create a board of trustees. The bill has the support of House and Senate leadership, but Governor Gina Raimondo’s office says it’s not ready for prime time yet.
• Down in Tiverton, Joseph P. Mollo will be sworn in as the town’s new fire chief tonight.
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• The US Department of Labor is already looking into Providence’s economic opportunity office following the resignation of its director. Today, the Board of Contract and Supply is expected to approve an agreement with Blum Shapiro & Co. to launch a City Council audit of the office as well.
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Thanks for reading. Send comments and suggestions to dan.mcgowan@globe.com, or follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan. See you tomorrow.
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