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June 7, 2007

Group opposes bill to expand Newport Grand

NEWPORT -- A gambling watchdog group is opposed to state legislation that would extend Newport Grand’s video slot contract with the state and weaken the city’s ability to regulate the gambling facility.

The bill before the General Assembly was requested by The Procaccianti Group, which has agreed to purchase Newport Grand for $155 million as part of a $1.4 billion plan to redevelop the site and surrounding land.

Today, Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling issued a statement asserting that the bill would strip the city of the authority it needs to regulate expansion at Newport Grand.

The bill “is an arrogant attempt to usurp the jurisdiction of the city of Newport by transferring control over a huge section of the city to the Procaccianti Group through the state Division of Lotteries,” Rev. Eugene McKenna, president of the group, said in a statement.

“The bill would remove the Newport Grand gambling facility and any ancillary properties from city zoning regulations, thus allowing the Procaccianti Group, which seeks to purchase Newport Grand, to expand the facility in any way it saw fit and to control the development of adjacent properties it might acquire. This move to circumvent city jurisdiction is a transparently obvious effort to overcome years of opposition by Newporters to expanded gambling.”

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 6:11 PM | Permalink

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