Lottery Commission delays vote on expanded slots

Thursday, July 25, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state Lottery Commission delayed indefinitely its vote on expanding the number of video slot machines at the state's two gambling facilities until a new legislative panel has time to study the issue.

The Special House Commission to Study Gaming opened its first hearing on Tuesday. It is expected to hold about 30 hearings before reporting its findings to the full House next April.

The panel was created by Statehouse leaders to investigate the expansion of gambling in Rhode Island after the Narragansett Indian Tribe resubmitted its proposal for a major casino in West Warwick. Its creation ended the tribe's hopes of getting its casino plan on the ballot for a statewide referendum in November.

House Finance Chairman Gordon Fox, who heads the study commission, asked Rep. Robert Flaherty, the Lottery Commission chairman, to postpone the slot-expansion vote until the panel has considered the question.

Lincoln Greyhound Park and Newport Grand Jai Alai are each planning major expansions that together call for more than 1,800 new video slots, nearly doubling the existing number of terminals in the state.

The Lottery Commission estimates that 1,000 new slot machines would mean nearly $60 million in revenue for the cash-strapped state government.