One of Rhode Island’s two slots parlors, Twin River Casino, announced last week that it will seek permission to build a hotel in Lincoln to help it remain competitive.
Twin River Chairman John E. Taylor last week told the Lincoln Town Council that the company will petition to legislature to allow it to build a hotel. Only then would the casino be able to compete against the casino resorts that are springing up in neighboring states, most notably Massachusetts.
He said, “While we have always defined ourselves as a convenience casino, one that caters to customers who live within a 60-mile radius, we are motivated by two important factors.”
Taylor added, “The first is that there is no denying that the New England gaming landscape has changed dramatically in the last two years. In a few short months we will begin to compete against a Massachusetts ‘racino’ just 12 miles from our front door. Within another 18 months, we will be competing against destination casinos owned by premier operator Steve Wynn just outside of Boston and MGM in Springfield.”
He noted that patrons consistently ask for dining and the ability to stay all night. The hotel he would like to build would have up to 250 rooms and be no taller than four stories, which would make it consistent with existing buildings in the city.
The legislature may be open to the change. A spokesman for House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello told the Providence Journal, “Speaker Mattiello is open to any proposal that will help protect our state’s third-largest revenue source, while considering the hospitality industry at large.”
Operating a hotel is a new concept for the slots parlor, which a year ago said it didn’t want to advance beyond being a “convenience casino.”
State law, which specifically forbids the former greyhound track from building a hotel, would have to be changed to accommodate the request. The ban was included as a way to protect existing hotels from competition.
