The completion of the million Tiverton Casino by Twin River has been delayed for three months due to a slow permitting process and construction restrictions by the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island says the developer.
The voters of the state and the town approved of moving Twin River’s casino from Newport to Tiverton, although the town’s vote was very narrow. At that time, the developer promised an opening of July 2018 for the casino, which is opening a few hundred feet from the Massachusetts state line, and is a gauntlet thrown in the face of the MGM Springfield.
Under recent questions by the city council, Twin River pushed back the opening to October 2018.
The company’s lawyer last week sent an email to the Tiverton Casino Subcommittee, outlining new scheduling possibilities. “His assessment reflected the challenges of the site, the in-depth zoning and planning process which occurred after the referendum and the wishes of the town to restrict hours of construction operations,” said a spokesman for Twin River. There is also a problem getting timely delivery of materials—and of the city refusing to extend the number of hours that workers can work.
The spokesman said that once the building is enclosed, late this year, it will have a better idea of when the casino can open. “If we can advance the likely October 2018 opening date, we will,” said the spokesman.
The state isn’t happy about the delay, because it was planning on an additional $26.4 million. Gaming is the state’s third source of revenue. According to the Department of Revenue, the state will lose $2.2 million for each month the casino is delayed.
Building crews are doing site and foundation work at the casino location. Plans are for a 77,500-square foot casino with 1,000 slots and 32 gaming tables. There will also be an 84-room hotel and two-level parking structure.
