Amazingly, this also happened in 2019, when the Brady-led New England Patriots cost Rhode Island $2.35 million by beating the LA Rams. “You will have games that you win on and games that you lose on in the sports book.” The state paid out more than $1 million in wagers on the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “This is an occurrence in sports betting,” said Mark Furcolo, Director of the Rhode Island State Lottery Commission. Revenue for the month of February decreased by 35%. One sad note: Tom Brady came out of retirement to haunt Rhode Island sportsbooks once again. Handles continue to be high – their second highest handle of all time happened in Jan 2021 – and while revenue does tend to dip in non-NFL months, it’s nothing that Rhode Island isn’t used to by now.
