Twin River proposes plan to move Newport Grand to Tiverton
By News Staff
Twin River has announced that they have acquired land in Tiverton along the Massachusetts border and plan on moving the Newport Grand to a new facility there.
The move is being made to compete with potential casinos in southeast Massachusetts.
The proposed casino would be located on 45-acres of property just off of William S. Canning Boulevard (Route 81) and is immediately adjacent to the Route 24 interchange.
Under the proposal, the existing Newport Grand license would be transferred to the new Tiverton casino.
Twin River is proposing the new casino offer 1,000-1,100 slot machines; approximately the same number as in Newport, and seek approval for 30-40 table games.
Twin River will look to gauge community support and approval from the Tiverton Town Council. They will then look for it to be on the ballot for the 2016 November election.
Newport Grand will remain fully operational during this process.
State leaders have reacted to the proposal, with both Governor Gina Raimondo and Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello supporting the idea. They both feel that this is a smart move to compete with Massachusetts casinos.
Speaker Mattiello says, “Gaming is the state’s third largest source of revenue and we must do all we can to protect it against the impending competition from Massachusetts. Therefore, I support Twin River’s proposal to relocate Newport Grand to Tiverton. I have always been a supporter of Twin River and I applaud them for their creativity and their willingness to invest in our state. Should the Tiverton Town Council request a 2016 referendum to expand gaming, I expect that it would be very well received in the House of Representatives.”
Governor Raimondo released a statement saying, “With competition from casinos in Massachusetts posing a real threat to an important source of revenue in Rhode Island, we need to examine ways to remain competitive. This is especially true since we have a $190 million budget shortfall this year; we are under-investing in critical areas like workforce development, businesses-attraction, and infrastructure; and anticipated gaming competition could worsen our budget challenges in the years ahead. This is a proposal that could be beneficial for the state. We look forward to learning more details, and to engaging with the Town of Tiverton about it.”
Senate President Paiva Weed said in part, “I support Twin River’s plan to have a conversation with the residents of Tiverton to explore the possibility of relocation, and I am grateful for their public commitment to a planning process to ensure the highest and best use of the land in Newport.”
(C) WLNE/TV 2015
