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Rhode Island has been grappling with the issue of whether to allow Harrah's and the Narragansett Indians to build a resort style casino in the state. This has been going on, in various incarnations, for years, but this year was especially notable.
The Narragansett Indians, fresh off of an ugly confrontation with the RI State Police over cheap cigarettes, renewed their push to get a Foxwoods of their own in West Warwick (central RI). The state legislature is strongly behind the casino, but Governor Carcieri is strongly opposed. This set up a nice little debate, with no shortage of overheated rhetoric, between the Narragansetts, the lege and the governor.
In Rhode Island, any new expansion of gambling in the state has to be approved by the voters in a statewide referendum. This was the year that the question was finally going to go on the ballot, after lawmakers rammed it through, then overrode the Gov's veto. Carcieri then went to court to question whether or not Harrah's ownership of the casino would be constitutional (in RI, the constitution says that only the state may run "lotteries"). All the while, pro-Casino folks demand that "the people should decide" in a vote.
Today, in what may be the final story (this year, at least) of the Casino saga, some activist judges did what the Republicans wanted them to (heehee, sorry, couldn't resist) and removed the question from the ballot as it was deemed unconstitutional.
Phew. I didn't want a casino in RI. There's a ton of arguments on both sides, which I won't go into for fear of a too-long post, but no way did I want to see Harrah's moving next door. Unfortunately, this is not over, and there'll probably be some movement next January on amending the constitution. Some people wanted to have the vote so that the whole project could be rejected once and for all, but I was much less optomistic about the results of the election. But at least, for the time being, RI is saved from a multi-million dollar campaign and an all around bad deal. Connecticut should thank us as our working poor and convention visitors will continue to funnel tons of money to their state.
I wish I had been following this story more closely here, so that you wouldn't have to just read this jumbled and simplistic post, but thems the breaks. Sorry.
Cliffs Notes: no Casino in RI… for now.
I’m actually really happy that there will not be a casino vote either. I didn’t want to see a casino erected in West Warwick, especially a casino that would wreak havoc on the Providence economy. It was a bad deal for RI for the simple fact that the current gambling establishments, Lincoln Park & Newport Grand, pay 60% of their profits in taxes and the Harrah’s casino would only have to pay something like 24 or 28% tax on it’s profits and it would put the other gambling places out of business, not to mention the Providence Civic Center and Providence Perfoming Arts Center, the Biltmore, probably the Marriott, etc.
Bring the casino, you dopes. Geesh, RI has none of the following : auto racing, casino, amusement parks. Here’s an idea: How about having other interests here represented? We constantly depend on revenue from the beaches, that isn’t enough, we need to draw more from neighboring states. People go to MASS for stock car racing, football, baseball, and the beaches and six flags, to CONNECTICUT for racing and the casinos, and entertainment, people go to NEW HAMPSHIRE for IHRA, NHRA and NASCAR racing. WTF do we have? On top of that MASS, CT and NY have sales-tax holidays, meanwhile we threaten to enfore the duty-tax. FLA has no income tax… how do they do it, and why can’t we? Why does RI continue to involve itself in expensive leases while gov’t building are empty and in disrepair? Vote againstr everyone in the gov’t and bring in new blood.
This casino is a bad deal and it would run countless other buildings, and drive many out of business and effect the local neighborhoods and businesses. I understand that we don’t have a lot of attractions other than the beaches but hey news flash it is a small state loser. We dont need any of that because of the fact that states that have that are all so close by. The casino is illegal and i think that we could find a better way to get income then ruining one of the nicest spots in our state. Hey also most people who live here live here because it is small and can get where they are going with out a lot of traffic. By the way gov Carceri understands this because he lives clike 15 miles from where thsis casino would be built. He also is probably the most effective governor we have ever had.hey 15% of people who gamble become addicted