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PROPOSED: Harrah's/Narragansett Casino

Cotuit

By Cotuit
in Rhode Island

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Dan Hamlet

Dan

Posted
Posted

(sorry about the italics - I had a little too much to quote)

if you think that people going to the casino will drive "just 25 minutes away" for providence's restaurant scene and the convention center and nightlife, you're kidding yourself. the tourism that providence gets will lose out with a casino in WW.

downtown providence is at least 20 min from where this casino is going. it won't see people travel between the 2. -runawayjim

That was kinda my point...

The only entertainment destination in the area would be the proposed casino. I don't think people who want to go gamble after work, be it at Foxwoods Lincoln or West Warwick, are going to detract from business at theatres, live music venues, and restaurants since they cater to people who'd rather enjoy a show and/or dinner and a drink than drive to a casino and gamble.

The Convention Center and dining options in Providence are 25 minutes away

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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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That was kinda my point...

And what I meant was Providence has a nice buffer. The casino in the suburbs and the entertainment destinations within the city aren't competing for the same market. There's an underserved gambling market in RI/MA to which the casino will cater. Lincoln Park and Newport Grand are constantly increasing capacity, improving quality, and adding amenities to handle this new business.

Why wouldn't a Providence casino hurt the downtown bars in your above described analogy? :huh:

If something brings in more out of state patrons who otherwise would not have visited RI, then yes, RI's tourism industry will grow. There's nothing significant (as far as tourist attractions) at Exit 8 either, unless you think Cardi's and the Flea Market are must-see RI landmarks. This notion that a large chunk of the people who would go to gamble in West Warwick are the folks who frequent Providence and Newport for dining, shopping, and entertainment - to me this just doesn't jive.

Huh?! Lincoln and Newport are basically keeping our state government afloat. Lower State GOV debt equals more economic development and investor confidence.

Let's see... there are thousands of slot machines, full-service restaurants, bars, live entertainment, and its the only place in the state where its still legal to smoke. Lotteries in name only if I ever saw 'em. And think about the deal LP and NG have with the State of RI. They don't want competition from Harrah's despite the added revenue for the state. It reminds me of the movie "Casino" and the infamous cash-filled suitcases. If those Lincoln and Newport suitcases start getting lighter, hey, I mean you know.... that's no good! And our state legislators don't want anybody skimming from their piece of the skim.

I hear people talk about Lincoln Park and Newport Grand like they're the Better Business Bureau. Please. This is Rhode Island. We've changed the state constitution for much less-worthy causes plenty of times in our history.

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Jerry2 Hamlet

Jerry2

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i have one question on my mind....most of you speak of this casino hurting providence and the convention center but isnt mohegun/foxwoods doing that already? as far as ive witnessed...the biggest names in music either go to boston or ct...they skip providence...mmmm i wonder why
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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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The CT casinos are what put the Warwick tent out of business. If this casino was built, the Dunk would definitely be out of business and the Conventon Center would run more in the red than it already does.H has every right to want to enter a state with the highest percentage of gambling junkies in the country. For some reason though,I think this will get built even if the voters reject it. After all, didn't the voters reject the state funding for the Convention Center?
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Mij Whistle-Stop

Mij

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Im sorry if this has been said already, but i dont have time to read all the noval post. P & J make a big stink about the Projo putting ad's in their paper then directly below the P & J article is this half page ad to "Vote Yes on question 1". So for those of you who are ready to tar and feather the Projo, lets back step for a second.

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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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This is a little dramatic. A casino adds another tourist destination to the area. Who's to say that a casino visitor wouldn't hit Waterfire that same weekend? Also, have you visited Norwich, CT recently?

I see problems with the casino question, but this most certainly isn't one of them.

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dgreco City

dgreco

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it's not dramatic considering that he's right. the casino will attract stuff like james taylor and all the comedians that come through, as well as things like boxing. it might bring some people to waterfire, but the stuff that come through providence won't stop here, they'll stop in west warwick.

norwich is doing well, but norwich also does not have much for live entertainment other than the baseball team. people go to mohegan sun, 5 min away, for live entertainment.

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PCGrad02 Whistle-Stop

PCGrad02

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As a native of Norwich who lived in the Providence area for six years, I will tell you this: You DO NOT want a Casino in RI. You don't want it in Providence, West Warwick, anywhere in the state. Believe me, the casinos have done little for Norwich.

Our downtown is limping along, the seedy areas of town have only gotten sketchier. Developers/Contractors have rained down upon the city, grabbing up crappy houses, throwing a few grand into them, and selling for two to three times what they're worth. Our grand list has not really increased in the way that you would want it to. Sure, we've had thousands of new housing units built in the city, but a city does not live on residential taxes alone. The casinos are basically self-sufficient, they don't not create great spin-off jobs.

People come from all over the country and go to Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods and THAT IS IT. They do not stop in downtown Norwich for anything but directions to the casinos. The casino in RI would do nothing but take away from all that Providence has worked so hard to achieve. Acts that would have played Hartford and New Haven now play in Ledyard and Uncasville. The casino would be a giant vaccum, sucking money out of downtown Providence.

People have been talking about the comeback of downtown Norwich for years, it is NOT going to happen. My wife and I frequent a few watering-holes downtown, only locals are in there. Nobody goes to Mohegan Sun and says, screw this place, lets go to downtown Norwich instead.

I am not bitter because of the casinos coming here, thank God they did, with defense cutbacks this area of the state would have been destroyed had it not been for the casinos. They provide jobs to tens of thousands of people that make their lives here. The vast majority of the jobs are low paying, the only good part about it is the benefits. Casino workers get free meals and low cost drug plans thru the tribes. If it wasn't for that, they would be no better off at Wal-Mart.

I'll have to finish later, as work is about to end for the night.

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dgreco City

dgreco

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To be honest, I think Providence offers a greater appeal than Norwich might, so I'd have to respectfully disagree and say that a casino could be another feather in the cap for Providence/Rhode Island tourism as a whole. I know plenty of people who visit Montreal to gamble AND spend money in the city.
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