Non-Indian developer asks Rhode Island voters to approve casino

Monday, November 7, 2016

An artist's rendering of a proposed casino in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Image by Twin River Management Group

Voters in Rhode Island are being asked to approve a new non-Indian casino when they go to the polls on Tuesday.

The facility in Tiverton would be operated by the Twin River Management Group. The non-Indian developer already runs two casinos in the state.

Voters approved those projects even after they repeatedly rejected gaming for the Narragansett Tribe. In a letter to The Providence Journal last week, council member Randy Noka offered an explanation for what he called a "double standard."

"Has the need for money blinded virtue and values, or is there something more sinister? I speak of prejudice, I speak of racism," Noka wrote in the letter.

If voters approve Question 1 on Tuesday, residents of Tiverton would still have their say over the project. Twin River plans to close its slot machine parlor in Newport Grand in order to open the new casino.

The site in Tiverton is just 400 feet from the Massachusetts border, according to news reports. It's also less than 20 miles from Taunton, where the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is building a $1 billion casino that's in limbo due to a court case.

Read More on the Story:
R.I. casino vote could set stage for competition with Mass. (The Boston Globe 11/6)
Rhode Island Voters Could Approve Casino 400 Feet From Massachusetts Border (CBS/AP 11/7)