Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Katherine Gregg
Journal staff writer

PROVIDENCE, .R.I. -- The Senate has voted and sent to the governor a bill to allow round-the-clock gambling, seven days a week at Twin River, while also forcing the owners of the bankrupt track and slot parlor to drop their plans to suspend live greyhound racing on Aug. 8, and run a full 200-day season.

The vote was 25 to 10.

The House approved the bill Friday, despite strong warnings a day earlier by Gary Sasse, the director of the state Department of Administration, that the state could lose upward of $25 million in gambling revenue if legislators interfere with the restructuring plan.

Under its bankruptcy plan, Twin River would turn over ownership of the 62-year-old track and slot parlor in Lincoln to its lenders, who would be free to bring in a new operator, within 120 days, unless an alternate agreement was reached. The agreement hinges, in part, on the legislature agreeing to relieve Twin River of its current obligation to run at least 125 days of greyhound racing each year, which has been a losing proposition.

The owners blame their financial arrangement with the dog owners' association for some of their money troubles, since the racing nets them only $1.75 million, not nearly enough to cover the $2.5 million expense or the $9.7 million subsidy they are committed to paying the greyhound owners by a contract.

Lobbyists for the greyhound owners assert that elimination of the races would cost 225 jobs and at least $7.5 million in direct and indirect state revenue, including sales and income taxes paid by the workers out of their wages and millions of dollars in slot-play by gamblers lured to the track by the dog races.

But Sasse, in a letter to key lawmakers last week, wrote: "To the extent that the enactment of the legislation were to interfere with the completion of the restructuring agreement, the legislation could actually result in the BLB bankruptcy filing becoming a protracted, free-fall proceeding - as opposed to a consensual one - which could result in the state incurring millions of dollars in related expenses, as well as an estimated decrease of 10 percent or more in revenues to the state from the facility."

Governor Carcieri has left no doubt he will veto the legislation.

Here is the vote tally:

 Tags  Carcieri gambling greyhound racing Lincoln RI Providence RI Twin River

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