Rhode Island voters should have had to approve sports betting via referendum since it is a new type of gambling as dictated by state law, according to a suit seeking to stop sports betting, the Providence Journal reported.

The suit seeks an injunction to shut down both of Twin Rivers’ sportsbooks and to invalidate recently approved legislation to legalize online sports betting.

Gov. Gina Raimondo has argued voters did approve sports betting because they earlier passed a referendum authorizing Class III gaming.

However, since federal law prohibited sports betting at the time that referendum passed voters couldn’t have imagined they were approving sports betting, the lawsuit said.

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