Rhode Island Senate Gets Closer to Vote on Indian Casino
Harrah's Entertainment executives and their supporters told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday that a casino would provide the state with at least $144 million in taxes per year and thousands of jobs. They were the first to testify at a hearing on a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for the Las Vegas-based company and its partner, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, to build a casino in West Warwick.
If adopted, the amendment would exempt the Narragansett Indian Tribe and an unnamed business partner from a constitutional provision requiring state authorities to operate all lotteries, including casinos. The tribe has long been partnered with Harrah's. The House of Representatives passed the amendment last week.
Before it can become law, the amendment must be approved by the full Senate and Rhode Island voters in a general referendum. Harrah's vice president David Satz told committee members the company plans to build a "destination" casino gambling with with a hotel, theater, and multiple restaurants. The goal would be to keep the $322 million Rhode Islanders spend at Connecticut's two casinos in the state and attract some of the $1 billion that Massachusetts and Connecticut residents spend there, he said.
June 1, 2006
Posted By Michelle Johnson
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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