Why are Patriots fans going to Rhode Island when the Super Bowl is in Georgia?
The state is one of six to have legalised betting on sports events since a Supreme Court ruling allowed it.
Die-hard fans of the New England Patriots have traditionally made Las Vegas like a winter home during Super Bowl week so they can enjoy a fair-weather party while placing bets on the team’s chances.
Their destination this time around is a lot closer.
Rhode Island was one of six states that legalised betting on sporting events last year after the US Supreme Court allowed it, ending the effective sports gambling monopoly that Nevada had enjoyed for decades.
“If you don’t have to invest 1,000 US dollars going across the country, you’re not going to,” said Zack Natola, a 30-year-old Patriots fan from Watertown, Massachusetts.
He has travelled to Las Vegas three times to bet on the Super Bowl.
For the game this Sunday, he is planning to make the short trip south across the state line to the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, one of two places in Rhode Island that offers sports betting.
He is excited about being able to watch his team and place bets without having to spend the money on a Las Vegas trip.
“It makes it a good weekend,” he said.
The Patriots face the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s finale which is to be played in Atlanta, Georgia.
