There still aren’t many venues for players to venture to gamble here – where would they all fit? – but you can find pretty much any game you like somewhere here in the Ocean State. And while this isn’t one of the major targets for online casino expansion, it’s easy to see scenarios where government officials might try to jump on the Internet bandwagon.
Expansion is Recent Development for State
Rhode Island is hardly a leader in the gaming industry, but we have on occasion been among the early adopters of certain aspects of gambling. Take, for instance, our state lottery. After voters overwhelmingly supported a constitutional amendment to allow for a lottery in 1973, tickets began going on sale just a few months later. By 1975, a variety of tickets and drawings were available, and the state began producing the first ever televised lotto programming. Today, the lottery offers not only its own products, but also participates in all of the major interstate games, like Powerball and Mega Millions.
Today, the centerpiece of Rhode Island’s gambling scene is Twin River Casino, though this is a relatively new development. Formerly known as Lincoln Downs, it had been the site of greyhound racing since 1947, but found itself struggling in the 1990s after the opening of Foxwoods Casino Resort in Connecticut.
That’s why, in 1992, the state authorized the installation of video lottery terminals at Lincoln Park, the same year they also made keno draws legal. By 1993, there were 900 machines in place at the track, which seemed to put it back on the path to profitability.
But problems persisted there well into the new millennium. After the venue changed hands, it reopened with a new expansion in 2007, now under the name of Twin River Casino. The owners then said that it would have to end all racing at the facility in order to keep Twin River afloat; today, there is no longer dog racing at the facility.
In 2012, voters had the chance to allow Twin River and the other slots-only facility in the state, Newport Grand, to offer casino table games as well. The first measure, known as Question 1, approved the games at Twin River by a 70-30 margin, and was also passed locally, allowing for table games. Statewide, voters offered almost the same level of support for Newport Grand as well; however, Newport voters rejected the same question, essentially vetoing the idea.
Today, Twin River offers a full variety of casino games, including a small poker room that hosts both Texas Hold’em and Seven-Card Stud games. Newport Grand is more limited in its offerings, having only slots, though it does have one rather unique feature: it offers not only simulcasting of horse racing, but also of jai alai from frontons in Florida.
