Editorial: Gaming not going away in Rhode Island

Tuesday, September 11, 2007  

"It looks like the Narragansett Indian tribe is out of the running as far as a Rhode Island casino is concerned. They had their shot and they lost. For whatever reason, voters convincingly rejected their proposal.

But that doesn't mean the issue is going away. In fact, I'm all but convinced that casinos will be a major topic of discussion in the next General Assembly session.

I don't mean just allowing Twin River to remain open 24 hours on weekends and holidays. That's a no-brainer and will probably happen quickly under the rubrick of something that will bring in additional revenue quickly and easily. By the same token, that now-famous digital buxom blonde will in all likelihood be flipping cards on the virtual blackjack machines even before the legislature re-convenes in January.

I am talking about a serious effort to make Twin River a full-fledged casino, with table games, a hotel and other amenities. Maybe Newport Grand will be brought along for the ride as well, but Twin River is where the serious action is.

Much depends on whether Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick decides to support or oppose casinos in the Bay State. If he comes down against the idea, then the pressure will be off Rhode Island.

But if Patrick supports casinos, Rhode Island lawmakers have a decision to make: Do we let Massachusetts go ahead with casinos, perhaps siphoning off tens if not hundreds of millions of millions of VLT revenue Rhode Island' state budget now depends upon? Or do we gird our loins by rolling roulette wheels, craps tables and poker rooms into Twin River as a pre-emptive strike?"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Casino issue not going away anytime soon (The Pawtucket Times 9/10)