Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

The R.I. Department of Business Regulation has denied a bid by the kennel owners at Twin River for a hearing on the looming suspension of live dog racing at the Lincoln track and slot parlor on Aug. 8.

The reason: Lack of standing.

In a letter that went out this afternoon, DBR Director A. Michael Marques advised the Rhode Island Greyhound Owners Association that there "there are no statutory violations at issue, at this time, given Twin River's indication that it will not suspend greyhound racing ... without completing the mandatory minimum 125 days of greyhound racing.''

He continued: "With respect to the alleged breach of contract issues between Twin River and RIGOA, as you know, the breach and harm that you assert may be properly addressed through a civil action.''

The letter was released by Governor Carcieri's press secretary, rather than by DBR.

There was no immediate response from the dog owners. But Twin River spokeswoman Patti Doyle said:"We are grateful for the review of the DBR on this matter and respect their decision as the regulatory agency for pari-mutuel issues."

In a letter to DBR on Thursday, RIGOA lawyer Joseph Cavanagh Jr. had argued: "Greyhound racing has a significant impact on the state of Rhode Island and a suspension of racing will have an immediate, direct and adverse effect on Rhode Island workers, small businesses and taxpayers ... As such, we respectfully request that the Association be provided notice and an opportunity to be heard should DBR ... consider altering the fixed days upon which greyhound racing is scheduled to take place at Twin River for the balance of 2009."

The letter was premised on a reported three-page contract between the kennel owners and the owners of the sprawling greyhound track and slot parlor in Lincoln, home to 12 greyhound kennels, an estimated 1,200 dogs and 4,752 video-slots.

To date, however, neither side has been willing to make public the contract, which reportedly commits Twin River's owners to paying the dog owners a $10-million annual subsidy, even though their net from the $13,246,233 wagered on dog-racing in 2008 was only $1.7 million. State taxes from the live races were just shy of $1 million.

The kennel owners' move drew this response from Twin River spokeswoman Patti Doyle: "We took this necessary yet unfortunate step to preserve revenue in the event of a Chapter 11 filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. ... We deeply regret the suspension of dog racing at Twin River and more important, we regret the loss of every employee who will be impacted by this action."

 Tags  Twin River

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