The Rhode Island House of Representatives yesterday approved a new bill that will take the state once step closer to a legalized poker industry and a general expansion of gambling.
The bill essentially allows a voter referendum to be held that will put the question of converting existing slot parlors into fully equipped casinos, complete with table games that include poker. There have been calls for some time now to allow the state’s two slot parlors – Twin River and Newport Grand – to expand their gambling products.
While the bill does not actually approve the expansion, it will take make the idea more of a reality, as voters will have the opportunity to either approve or reject the creation of two state-operated casinos. The Senate still needs to give its approval to the measure.
The current bill replaces an older proposal which had private operators running the new casinos. The new bill names the state as the casino operator.
The debate on whether to approve table games in Rhode Island has taken on an air of urgency, with legislators eyeing neighboring Massachusetts as it weighs it own gambling options. Senators in Massachusetts have been listening to both sides of the argument in relation to a vote that could legalize three casinos in the state.
Should Massachusetts approve the bill, this would affect Rhode Island as more people would simply cross the state line in order to play poker or other casino games. Already, Senators are considering proposals for casinos to be build by Indian tribes in Fall River, right on Rhode Island’s state line.
If Rhode Island wants to claim any part of the market, it will need to move faster in order to legalize poker and expand the casinos, say the experts.
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