TIVERTON, R.I. — The still-nascent gambling industry in Massachusetts, already under threat from Connecticut and internal disputes, could face a new challenge next week, when officials in this town just south of the border plan to vote on a casino proposal that would target Bay State gamblers.
In a bid to drive up support in Tiverton, the developer showed off renderings that made the proposed casino look like a tastefully designed suburban shopping center rather than a blaring neon intrusion on the rural feel of this erstwhile farming community of 8,000.
Townspeople also learned that the proposed casino could generate almost $75 million in new state and local taxes — most of it from gamblers who live in Massachusetts, according to an analysis prepared by the developer, Twin River Management. The proposed casino would be located only 380 feet from the Massachusetts state line, and would draw most of its gamblers from Fall River, New Bedford, and other areas north of the Rhode Island border, the analysis shows.A Tiverton casino would create a second, new competitor to the Massachusetts casino industry, which is already facing a potential challenge on its southern flank. Connecticut this year passed a law that envisions a new casino to be opened by the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes near Hartford in response to a casino planned for downtown Springfield, less than 10 miles from the Connecticut state line. Continue reading it below Proposed casino would stand feet from Mass. border A Tiverton, R.I., gaming facility would host more than 1,000 slot machines and dozens of blackjack and roulette tables.A casino here would keep many Rhode Island gamblers from venturing into Massachusetts, which is chasing new tax revenue of its own by planning to open casinos on its side of the border in a few years, the analysis shows.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is closely monitoring goings-on in Rhode Island as it grapples with what to do with the only one of the state’s three resort casino licenses it has not yet awarded. That license is reserved for Southeastern Massachusetts, but commission members have expressed concern about whether an expensive casino there could capture enough market share to be economically viable. The commission has said it could exercise its discretion to not award the license for the region at all.
The casino proposal in Tiverton, made by Twin River Management, which already operates Rhode Island’s two existing casinos, needs to win local and statewide voter referendums before going forward. It is supported by Rhode Island’s house speaker and senate president, both of whom released statements on Monday citing the need for the state to compete with Massachusetts for gambling tax revenue.
John E. Taylor Jr., chairman of Twin River Management, said he expects to spend $75 million on a low-slung, wood-frame casino, featuring 1,000 slot machines and 32 table games, and a 84-room hotel that from the renderings looks like a row of suburban townhouses.
Tiverton Town Council President Denise deMedeiros said a vote on the plan, which is six months in the making, will come next week.
Townspeople appeared supportive.
“Tiverton is an ideal location,” William Fish, a local resident, said, as he and about 200 other attendees watched the developer’s presentation to the Town Council in the high school gym. “This is going to help the town and help the state. Let’s take advantage of it.”
“It’s good for the taxpayer,” said Alex Cote. “The town and the state have a lot of needs.”
Massachusetts gamblers for decades have flocked to casinos in Connecticut and Rhode Island, leaving billions of dollars in those states. Bringing those gamblers back home was one of the prime reasons cited for the 2011 law authorizing three resort casinos and a slot parlor in Massachusetts.
But four years later, only the smaller slot parlor, Plainridge Park Casino, has opened, and the outlook for the resort casinos has been unsettled. A casino proposed for Everett has faced a barrage of legal challenges from the mayors of Boston and Somerville, and proposals for Western and Southeastern Massachusetts have been buffeted by maneuverings across the border in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
MGM Resort won the license for Western Massachusetts based on its commitment to spend $800 million for a massive casino and hotel complex in Springfield’s tornado-ravaged South End. The MGM plan is expected to attract at least one-third of its patrons from Connecticut.
But MGM recently shrank the size of its complex and scrapped plans for a 25-story tower in the face of advancing plans by the Pequot and Mohegan tribes to jointly open a casino nearby. The plainly stated purpose of that casino is to stop Connecticut residents from gambling in Massachusetts.
A partnership proposing a casino for Brockton, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, is asking the Massachusetts gambling panel to grant it a license to open a $677 million casino and hotel. But the partnership’s effort to win the license has been further complicated by the aspirations of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which wants to open a $500 million casino in Taunton, about 17 miles from Brockton.
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