Newport Council Vote Asking for Table Game Referendum Next Week

The next step for possible table games at Newport Grand, which would seal a deal for a team of investors including former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino to buy Newport Grand and turn it into a luxury casino, is at the feet of the Newport City Council next week.

The City Council will vote on a resolution asking the Rhode Island General Assembly to let voters in Newport decide on whether table games will be allowed at Newport Grand. 

The resolution is attached to this post (click download .PDF to grab it)

The proposed casino would drastically transform the current building, turning it into a luxury destination reminiscent of grand casinos in Monte Carlo.

Paolino and the investors reached a deal to buy the Newport Grand earlier this month. 

Paolino and Peter de Savary — the same de Savary who just sold Merrillton Mansion in Newport for $8.76 million — along with Paul Roiff, are part of the investment team.

In an interview, Paolino said he envisions a jewel of a structure greeting tourists and visitors to Newport after they come off the bridge.
Opponents of expanded gambling in Newport, meanwhile, are mobilizing to fight the plan.

The group Citizens Concerned about Casino Gambling has been arguing against expansion at Newport Grand for years. They proclaim that Newport is a world-class destination and doesn't need a casino. Instead, investments should be made in sailing events, music festivals, an innovation hub for future jobs and more. 

They are concerned that the casino would absorb business that would otherwise be spent in the city as they tend to "work hard to keep their customers captive with low price restaurants, entertainment and drinks," according to one of a series of ads on their Web site, www.nocasinori.com.

Or, as one Patch reader, Alex, put it: "How about making the state business friendly? Instead of driving business out, create incentives to attract businesses that provide good jobs instead of continuing this lazy reliance on gambling revenue. In the meantime, if Lincoln wants it, let them expand, build a hotel, etc.. But why does Newport have to have this constantly shoved down its throat?"

At the same time, workers at Newport Grand are worried their jobs are in jeopardy.

With declining revenue from slots and the potential for Newport voters to reject a ballot measure asking for table games at Newport Grand, there is growing concern among workers there that their days making a living at the former jai alai hotspot are numbered.

"I have been employed at Newport Grand for over 4 wonderful years. This place has become family," said Kimberly L. Baron, an employee of the marketing department at Newport Grand. "While I may have been at one time considered a 'transient,' I have fallen in love with Newport and the State of Rhode Island. I wish to keep her as my permanent home address. It would be sad to be another statistic and have to leave the State due to unemployment."

Another employee, John Moitoza of Tiverton, said he's worked at Newport Grand since 1986 and is worried he'll be losing his job if table games aren't allowed there. Table games are a critical part of a potential deal struck between former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino and a group of high-profile investors who hope to convert Newport Grand into a first-class casino.

Moitoza said the new vision would "finally [be] turning Newport Grand into the casino it should be."