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The House and the Senate in the state of Rhode Island wrapped up the 2010 legislative session by approving legislation on expanded gambling in the state in the last hours before the session came to a close, with the measure clearing the Senate just hours after it passed the House. In approving the bill, lawmakers agreed to put the question in a November referendum that would ask voters to decide whether or not to allow full-scale table games such as craps, poker, roulette and live blackjack at the state’s two slot casinos, Twin River and Newport Grand.
The House, before approving the measure on a 62-12 vote, debated for less than an hour. The proponents argued that with the table games, the two slot venues would be able to compete with future casinos in Massachusetts and generate millions of dollars more in gambling revenue for Rhode Island.
The expanded gambling opponents criticized those who wrote the bill for not making it transparent enough to disclose those who would benefit from it. Democratic Representative Charlene Lima of Cranston said the bill had many ambiguous points like how much would the state get as its share from the revenue of the new table games, and the names of the would-be owners of Twin River that filed for bankruptcy last year.
Those who voted against the bill were mostly representatives from Newport and nearby Aquidneck Island communities. The Senate spent 45 minutes to debate on the bill, after which, the measure passed on a 21-14 vote, hours following the House’s passage, even with Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed’s strong protests and emotional appeal to the senators to reject the gambling bill.
The bill will now go to the governor’s office. Gov. Don Carcieri will have to decide whether to veto it, or to sign it and put the question in a referendum for voter approval. The Rhode Island Lottery has authorized around 6,000 video lottery terminals and virtual blackjack machines at Twin River and Newport Grand.
Current state gambling rules stipulate that for every dollar lost, the state gets roughly 61 cents. With that provision, the state of Rhode Island is estimated to rake more than $290 million this year and $295 million in the next fiscal year starting July 1. If the outcome of the voter referendum turns out positive, Twin River and Newport Grand would be allowed to become full-blown casinos offering a wide array of table games usually seen at standard casinos.
Twin River in Lincoln has handled greyhound racing for years, but last month, Gov. Carcieri signed a bill that effectively put a stop to the sport in that venue. The towns hosting the casinos, in this case, Lincoln and Newport, would also be asked to endorse the proposal. Lincoln Representative Peter Petrarca said he will vote for the referendum, adding that he will allow the people of Lincoln the right to be heard and that the voters of Lincoln are sensible enough to decide whether to approve or defeat the proposal.
The bill has an earlier version which required a voter referendum for a constitutional amendment that would allow the casinos to be owned and operated by private entities. The bill was changed this week and has now identified the state as the operator, instead of a private company, so that there would be no more need for a constitutional amendment.
Notwithstanding strong warnings from some legislators who cautioned against gambling-related troubles wrecking people’s lives, and who objected to the idea of turning to expanded gambling to realize economic growth, the measure somehow made it through the House and the Senate. States in the Northeast seem to be trying to outdo one another in having a go at expanded gambling. Casinos in Pennsylvania and Delaware have already started operating table games, and New York, Maryland and Massachusetts are currently trying to expand their gambling options.