Tiverton Casino Question Passes Local Ballot Per Unofficial Results, But Absentee Ballots Could Change the Outcome

TIVERTON, RI – It's still a bit of a roll of the dice. A casino 400 feet from the Massachusetts border would become a reality if Tiverton voters approved Question 8 on the local ballot and the statewide ballot question also passed.

According to unofficial results, the Town approved it by a margin of 3,927 to 3,664.

But the tally does not include absentee ballots, which could change the picture.

The Citizens to Create Jobs and Protect Revenue, Inc. had advertised for a Yes vote on Question 1. The proposed casino and hotel would create 500 to 600 jobs, part-time and full-time, they said. The full-time workers would collect annual compensation, including benefits worth more than $56,000. Plus, some 330 construction jobs would be in play while the property was being developed.

The state's share of the revenues was being projected at $50 million a year. Tiverton would receive about four million dollars.

The plan also calls for highway improvements to benefit the Town.

The ballot question had the support of business and union leaders, organizers said. George Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, Ed Roderick, past president of the Tiverton Town Council, Laurie White, president pf the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Chief Frank Sylvester, past president of the New England Association of Fire Chiefs all appeared in the advertisements.

But the opposition, which includes church leaders, have argued the revenues are likely inflated and will not materialize. Also, the gambling operations impact quality of life, and take advantage of vulnerable people with gambling addictions.

Twin River, which already runs a casino in Lincoln, focused on Tiverton after it became apparent Newporters would not allow a full scale casino in their community. Joe Paolino, former Providence mayor and Ambassador to Malta, in 2012 spent some $905,000 on the unsuccessful Jobs for Newport campaign. But Citizens Concerned about Casino Gambling, which has been battling against gambling in Newport for 35 years, held off the barrage of mailers and telephone calls Paolino's group circulated.

He had teamed up with luxury real estate developer Peter de Savary and Paul G. Roiff to buy the Newport Grand from Diane S. Hurley, but the deal was contingent on the green light for table games. Newporters defeated casino gambling by 1,000 votes. Paolino went ahead and bought the Newport Grand and then sold it to Twin River.

Shortly after the sale, Twin River announced plans to move the operation to Tiverton. But the vote on Tuesday could still have implications for Newport, according to the Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling's Facebook page.

The group polled local candidates and asked if they will pledge to oppose any efforts to continue or expand gambling at the Newport Grand, regardless or depending on the outcome of the Tiverton vote. Former Mayor Harry Winthrop, who lost re-election in 2014 possibly because of his support for Paolino, and most of the others signed the pledge in 2016. But some did not reply, the group indicated.