" For the second time, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that legislation to push along a Harrah's casino fails to pass constitutional muster. It's back to the drawing board for a vote to add a full-fledged, industrial-strength casino to the sad slot palaces in Lincoln and Newport.

Let's hope that legislators can use the concerns raised by the Supreme Court as a "road map" to design a better bill. While a third casino would plainly hurt Rhode Island, there is enough public interest in one that it deserves to be put to a vote.

While full-fledged casinos rely heavily on slot machines, they also offer less addictive (and more sociable) gambling, such as table games. Voters should at least be allowed to say whether they want a Las Vegas-style casino of the sort being pushed by the Narragansett Indian Tribe, in league with Harrah's."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Need a better casino bill (The Providence Journal 9/21)
pwpwd