February 16, 2012

NEWPORT -- Following up on a request by city councilors for a statewide referendum on whether to allow casino gambling at Newport Grand, Newport County lawmakers have submitted legislation in the General Assembly to put the question on the November ballot.   

The bill, which was sponsored by state Rep. J. Russell Jackson and Peter Martin, both Newport Democrats, was submitted in the House on Tuesday.

Newport Grand CEO Diane Hurley says that expanding her facility's offerings is needed in order to compete with planned casinos in Massachusetts.

The first hearing on the bill has been scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 29 at the State House in Providence.

February 16, 2012

Latest Comments

  • NO BULL HERE BUT YOU, JACK

    You avoided the questions about increased civil services, which are a reality & not BS. There is great reason to be concerned and yet you are very blase about it - that's your business, but where is it stated the casino will pay for ALL the extra help "like Foxwoods?" *Are they going to keep the property taxes down; the water costs down; infrastructure, goods and services down (along w/police, fire and emergency) and subsidize everything?) I have every right to be concerned and am not going to "relax" - I'm not anti-gambling, just anti-gambling in Newport and it's been no secret: I'm very pro-business. You are clearly all for it but fail to answer some salient questions that everyone in town should have and is right to ask. But maybe you stand to personally benefit somehow and don't care?
    If you are making money off this deal say so but please stop all this BS you're throwing around to make it happen.Try being honest it will make you feel good.

    Also, learn the difference between "your" and "you're" because it makes you look stupid and doesn't advance your cause much.

    Posted by FRED SULLIVAN February 21, 2012 10:45:02

  • Relax

    Fred the sky is not falling, when does all this traffic start? The road to the casino is an express right to their door unlike the festivals where the cars must go through the real Newport to get to the venue, also the casino would be paying for all the extra help just like Foxwoods does now,

    If you are just anti gambling say so but please stop all this BS your throwing out to hinder it, try being honest it will make you feel good.

    Posted by Jack February 20, 2012 14:50:43

  • IRRELVANT

    Jack, it's entirely irrelevant if the argument was already made: one is "a sport" and the other is LEGALIZED GAMBLING. Jai-Alai was a fad.

    And Jack, if you're such a proponent of this, why don't you get out in front of it and post some verifiable facts (with citations) about the cost benefits of bringing full casino gaming into a town (that is not an indian reservation). The ONLY success story in the U.S. (which is not without problems, mind you) is Las Vegas. And you haven't even addressed potential traffic problems and the price of fixing that - is your friend Mrs. Hurley going to go before the residents of the City of Newport and offer to pay for increased property taxes, increased water taxes, dealing with the DOT and infrastructure costs for amending roads and thoroughfares, and traffic optimization?

    NO ONE HAS ADDRESSED THE POTENTIAL TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.
    Consider that: middle of summer there's long lines for both exits coming off the Newport Bridge just for Jazz Fest or Tennis Week or Chowder Fest or Boat Show. If they bring in this casino, how's that going to improve? And then what happens when people around here get fed up sitting in traffic just trying to use the bridge to go off-island? It's already a forty-minute drive heading out West Main to get off the island to 195 - how's it going to work after a casino comes?

    And what happens if Fall River gets a casino, and Twin River gets a casino, (and, possibly somewhere in middle-western RI) and the Newport version, with traffic problems and increased bridge tolls, starts failing? How will our tax burden be alleviated then?

    All you do is talk about how tax revenue will keep our cost of living down, but you fail to illustrate how any of these problems will be addressed.

    Posted by FRED SULLIVAN February 20, 2012 10:14:50

  • Rerun

    Fred thats the same arguments that were used to stop Jai alai and none of it happened

    Posted by Jack February 19, 2012 20:30:52

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