The Twin River Casino, a non-Indian facility in Rhode Island. Photo from Facebook
A non-Indian company in Rhode Island is seeking to build a new casino near the Massachusetts border. The facility would be located in Tiverton, just 380 feet from the state line, The Boston Globe reported. It could help Rhode Island address competition from Massachusetts, where at least three casinos are in the works, and Connecticut, where another casino is being proposed to the existing two. The project is the work of Twin River Management Group, a non-Indian company that operates the Twin River Casino and the Newport Grand Casino. The license from Newport Grand would be transferred to the new facility if voters approve at the local and state level. Tiverton is only about 24 miles from Taunton, Massachusetts, where the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe plans to build the long-awaited First Light Resort and Casino. It's also about 43 miles from Plainridge Park Casino, a non-Indian slot machine facility in Plainville, also in Massachusetts.
The New England Casino Race: Tribal and commercial gaming facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe, meanwhile, are seeking to open a third casino in Connecticut in hopes of countering competition from Massachusetts. If the tribes secure approval from lawmakers next year, they could be the first in the region to open a new facility. Left out is the Narragansett Tribe, whose leaders have been trying to open a casino in Rhode Island for decades. After they won a major court case that confirmed their rights, Congress passed a rider that barred the tribe from following the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The tribe then sought approval from state voters to open a casino. Those efforts have repeatedly failed even as non-Indian facilities, such as Twin River, have won approval to offer more forms of gaming. Get the Story:
Proposed R.I. casino would challenge Mass. industry (The Boston Globe 11/11) Rhode Island Supreme Court Decision:
Narragansett Tribe v. Rhode Island (March 4, 2015) Earlier Rhode Island Supreme Court Decision:
Narragansett Tribe v. Rhode Island (January 10, 2014)
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