Projo Politics Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Even if the legislature fails to act, the Carcieri administration has assured the owners of the Twin River greyhound track and slot parlor that it will allow overnight gambling to continue beyond the current June 30 deadline.

The assurance was conveyed in a letter from Gary S. Sasse, in his capacity as director of the state's Department of Revenue, to Twin River's senior vice president and general counsel, Craig L. Eaton, on Tuesday.

Having given Twin River a year to prove that overnight gambling on weekends and holidays would be a money-maker, state lawmakers have been slow to respond to Twin River's warnings that it will have to begin taking steps to cut back both patron and staff hours by June 1 unless overnight gambling is extended.

In his letter to Eaton, Sasse said: "Absent unforeseen circumstances, effective as of 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2009, the Lottery will authorize Twin River to continue to extend hours of operation to 3 a.m. during the week and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, as well as state and federally recognized holidays.''

Since its approval by the General Assembly in May 2008, overnight gambling has been credited by the Lincoln venue with producing an additional $12.1 million for the state, more than half of it - $6.7 million - sprinkled about in school aid.

Once a stand-alone agency with a publicly displayed push and pull between the lawmakers and executive appointees to its governing board, the Lottery was recast as a division within the Department of Revenue after a voter-approved separation-of-powers amendment to the state Constitution. Its decision-making no longer plays out in a public forum.

 Tags  Carcieri gambling Providence RI Twin River

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