Casino Group Says Tiverton Residents Support Casino Plan

The company that plans to build a casino in Tiverton near the Massachusetts border said Monday that 60 percent of residents who responded to a recent survey supported the plan.

According to a news release, Twin River Management Group said that 92 percent of the 1,375 responses indicated that schools and residential areas should not be near the proposed casino. They also gave 1,250 positive statements as opposed to 605 negative statements. The survey allowed for multiple statements per household.

Among the reasons to support the casino, residents reportedly cited job creation, new tax revenues for the town and the fact that the facility is close to Route 81 and Route 24 for easy highway access.

A top concern, according to the release, was the possibility for traffic related woes.

Twin River officials said that they wouldn’t release the full results of the survey, which was mailed to 5,821 registered voters’ homes.

Fairbanks, Maullin, Metz & Associates conducted the survey.

John E. Taylor Jr., Twin River Management Group’s chairman, said that he was surprised by the response.

“We did not expect this level of support at this stage in our discussion with the community, “ Taylor said. “We remain very committed to developing our proposal with the direct advice and guidance of the community.”

Critics of the proposal who gather on the No Tiverton Casino Facebook page, questioned the validity of the survey. The number of surveys that were not returned were mentioned, along with the fact that it might not be the most impartial study.

“Of course the survey is misleading. It’s not an unbiased piece of research. It’s a marketing strategy,” said Katherine Carbone.

“Why would I return their survey and help them craft their message that they could win approval? I think the lack of response show a much higher disapproval percentage than they think,” said Chris Nearpass.

Twin River Group is hoping to move casino operations at Newport Grand in Newport to the new casino, which would have about 1,000 slot machines and 30 to 40 table games.

Twin River officials have planned a series of meetings with Tiverton residents through the summer. Their initial plans were intentionally lacking substantial detail in an effort to tailor the plan based on local wants, officials said. So far, there have been seven forums with another six already scheduled with “a series of three to possibly four charrettes or public workshops will be held in the month of September, followed by an interim update to the Town Council in October and finally, a formal proposal will be presented to the Council in November,” according to a company release.

In all, the company plans 40 meetings in total.

The plan entails constructing a casino on a 45-acre site in Tiverton off Route 81 next to the Massachusetts border, which will help Twin River Management Group better compete against new casinos opening in that state.

Newport Grand would remain in operation during the construction phase but close once work was finished.

The proposal would need voter approval, much like Newporters and state voters weighed in on the expansion of table games at Newport Grand in the November election last year. Though a majority of state voters supported it, Newporters rejected it and for casino referendums in Rhode Island, the local voters have the final say.

At the time of their purchase of Newport Grand, Taylor said the merger of the state’s two gambling facilities presents “significant synergies that exist” between both operations, Taylor said, and there will be major cost savings through shared marketing, technical integration and “cooperative dollars that would allow for maximization of future revenues.”

From Twin River:

Survey Highlights

Tiverton residents are particularly interested in pursuing this type of dialogue according to the survey. Some 95% of residents believe that such a dialogue is important. For 92% of voters, locating the facility away from schools and residential neighborhoods is very important.

When it came to issues that motivate support, taxes and job creation dominated. Sixty five percent (65%) of voters said that generating new taxes is important, while 61% cited job creation as being important.

Another significant finding of the survey was 69% of respondents believing that it is important to keep casino jobs and taxes in Rhode Island rather than letting them go to new casinos being planned in Massachusetts.

The architecture of the casino is also a major consideration for Tiverton residents. Seventy seven (77%) percent of respondents advised that the facility’s appearance should fit in with the local character of the community.

When given the opportunity to state in their own words what they liked or didn’t like about the proposal, 1,250 positive responses were offered while 605 negative comments were made. The three positive issues most frequently cited were new tax revenue for the Town (487), creation of new Tiverton jobs (335) and the proposed location of the facility (310).

The most commonly cited negative concern is the impact on local traffic (253).

Taylor reaffirmed his commitment to cooperate with the Town and State in developing a solution to the current congestion, while also anticipating the future needs of the project. “I am confident that we can be part of a better traffic solution,” he said. “We are going to do this the right way. We want this to be a project that will benefit the community and also be a source of community pride,” he concluded.

The survey was mailed to 5,821 registered voter households. The results were tabulated based upon 1,375 responses. The return rate was exceptionally high for this type of survey and is indicative of the community’s keen interest in better understanding and contributing to the proposal.