Tiverton casino bill heads to Raimondo for signature

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS APPROVED LEGISLATION that will put on the November ballot the question of whether the owners of Newport Grand will be allowed to replace it with a new casino in Tiverton on the Massachusetts border.  / COURTESY TWIN RIVER MANAGEMENT GROUP
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS APPROVED LEGISLATION that will put on the November ballot the question of whether the owners of Newport Grand will be allowed to replace it with a new casino in Tiverton on the Massachusetts border. / COURTESY TWIN RIVER MANAGEMENT GROUP

PROVIDENCE – The General Assembly passed legislation Thursday that allows Twin River to transfer Newport Grand operations to a new casino in Tiverton – if voters approve the measure statewide and in the proposed host town.

The legislation now forwarded to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo will put questions on the November ballot asking voters to approve a gaming facility in Tiverton.

John E. Taylor Jr., chairman of Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc., the parent company of the Twin River Management Group, said in a statement said that passage of the legislation, if signed by the governor, “will allow us to continue our conversation with voters statewide and importantly, in the town of Tiverton, on the merits of a casino located 400 feet from the Massachusetts border that is estimated to generate between $47 million and $70 million in revenue for the state.”

If the Tiverton plan is approved by voters, the legislation provides for the state to get 15.5 percent of table games and 61 percent of slots revenues at both the new Tiverton and existing Twin River locations. Host communities would keep 1 percent of table game revenue and 1.45 percent of slots revenue, the legislation stipulates.

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Both Twin River Casino in Lincoln and Newport Grand are “convenience casinos” that draw players from within a 45-minute radius. Compared to Newport, the Tiverton site off Route 24 near the Massachusetts border could better compete with potential resort casinos in Brockton and/or Taunton, as well as Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Mass., Taylor has said.

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