R.I. lawmakers approve expanded gambling hours
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—State lawmakers desperate to fix a massive budget deficit voted Tuesday to allow Rhode Island's two slot parlors to operate around-the-clock on weekends and holidays, a step that could raise more money for the state.
The proposal would also allow Twin River in Lincoln and Newport Grand to close as late as 3 a.m. on weekdays.
Identical bills passed 27-6 in the Senate and 51-19 in the House. The separate House and Senate bills must be approved by the opposite side of the legislature before they go to the governor.
Rhode Island faces its worst financial problem since it bailed out failed banks and credit unions in the early 1990s, with a sluggish economy and a $568 million budget deficit.
House lawmakers already have voted to cut costs by limiting welfare benefits for children, stopping health care coverage for immigrant children, reducing retirement benefits for state workers and cutting promised state funding for cities and towns. Budget officials warn that further cuts may be necessary.
Earlier this year, officials at Twin River estimated the extra gambling hours could raise an additional $11.8 million for the state. The state already depends on video slot machines to provide about 8 percent of state income.
House Finance Chairman Steven Costantino, a Democrat, told lawmakers that unless the state gets more money from gambling, it may need to raise taxes or make further cuts to social welfare and education programs.
"This is a way of maximizing a revenue source," he said. "It's absolutely necessary."
But the proposals have critics, particularly among Republicans and people who live near the slot parlors. In a nonbinding referendum in November, Lincoln residents rejected longer gambling hours at Twin River and also opposed turning the slot parlor into a traditional casino offering card and table games.
Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk told lawmakers in February that the state should find other ways to fix its budget problems.
During the debate, lawmakers opposed to 24-hour gambling tried unsuccessfully to raise the state's legal gambling age from 18 to 21 and denounced video slot machines as a tax on the poor. Several said that permitting around-the-clock gambling brings Rhode Island closer to creating a full-fledged casino, an idea voters rejected in 2006.
"We had a debate about what ages we're going to allow pockets to be picked," said Rep. Nicholas Gorham, a Republican gambling opponent. "When can you start having your pocket picked so that we can get more money to the state?"
The vote, originally scheduled for last week, was repeatedly delayed while House Speaker William Murphy and Senate President Joseph Montalbano fought over how Lincoln and Newport should be compensated for putting up with longer gambling hours. Under their compromise, the communities will get an estimated $1.2 million in extra video slot revenue in the coming year.
Republican Gov. Don Carcieri will not support expanded gambling if residents in Lincoln and Newport are against it, Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said Tuesday. Neal would not comment on whether Carcieri would veto the bill. Last week, Carcieri told Rep. Robert Watson, the Republican minority leader, that he would veto, Watson said.
Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the House and Senate.
