Rolling the Dice/ Gambling

Bally’s in R.I. taking aim at Mass.

Some Bay State lawmakers eager to fire back

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CASINO WARS in New England are officially starting to heat up.

The newly renamed Bally’s Twin River officially broke ground Thursday on a major expansion of its casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, spurring nervous lawmakers in Massachusetts to push for legislation that would allow the slots parlor in Plainridge to expand its offerings to remain competitive.

At the groundbreaking in Lincoln, Gov. Daniel McKee and the leaders of the Rhode Island House and Senate gathered to celebrate the initial payoff for a deal signed into law in June. That deal saw International Game Technology pay the state $27 million and agree to maintain a workforce in Rhode Island of at least 1,100 people in return for a 20-year extension of its exclusive control of the state’s lottery. The deal also extended Bally’s hold on all casino gambling activity in the state through 2036 in return for a pledge to invest at least $100 million in its facilities.

That expansion in Lincoln includes 40,000 square feet of new gambling space and the addition of a 14,000-square-foot Korean-style spa, as well as a host of other amenities. The current facility has 150,000 square feet of gambling space.

Rhode Island politicians gushed over the casino expansion. McKee said the $100 million investment by Bally’s will keep the economy growing as it emerges from the pandemic. Joseph Shekarchi, the speaker of the Rhode Island House, applauded Bally’s for following through on its $100 million commitment. “The continued investment will benefit the state and its taxpayers who rely on revenue generated here and in Tiverton for important social programs,” he said in a statement.

Casino and lottery gaming represent the third-largest source of tax revenue in Rhode Island.

Lincoln, Rhode Island, is only 15 miles away from Plainville and lawmakers like Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin are worried about the potential impact.

Roy said casino competition between Massachusetts and Rhode Island has been building for some time. When Plainridge opened a decade ago, Roy said, the Lincoln facility quickly expanded beyond slots into table games. Two years ago Bally’s added a small casino in Tiverton, which is just over the border from Massachusetts and about 27 miles away from Plainville. Now, Roy says, Bally’s is expanding in Lincoln.

Roy said the point of the legislation allowing Plainridge to expand into table games is not to upset the apple cart of Massachusetts gaming, which called for three casinos (only two have been approved and built) and one slots parlor.

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Bruce Mohl

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About Bruce Mohl

Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

About Bruce Mohl

Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

“We’re not competing with Encore in Everett or MGM in Springfield,” Roy said. “What we’re competing with is a state that is taking our jobs away.”

Roy is pushing legislation that would allow Plainridge to add 30 table games and more slots. He said the legislation also directs the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to study the impact of the Rhode Island casinos and recommend how to respond.

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