Town in pact with casino giant

Monday, March 3, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- The Town Council moved last week to bring gambling to the town's business park, where the Narragansett Indian tribe and Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment Inc. propose to build a resort-style casino.

Under the terms of an agreement approved last week, Harrah's is to pay the town for studies of the local effects of gambling, such as zoning and planning, police and fire protection, and legal costs, the Providence Journal Bulletin reported.

The agreement promises the town $25,000 per quarter to conduct "due-diligence" research about a casino's impacts, the newspaper said. Unlike the terms of past agreements with the tribe and Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas, the town must spend the money on casino-related matters, the newspaper said.

Harrah's will also give West Warwick $20,000 to pay industry experts for advice. Anticipating that money, the town recently hired two experts to visit Rhode Island, briefing town officials and testifying before the Special House Commission to Study Gaming. Another one is expected to visit next week, the Providence Journal said.