Twin River Group Unveils Casino Plan with Hotel, Restaurant Possible

Twin River Management Group on Tuesday introduced preliminary plans for a proposed casino and hotel to be built in Tiverton right at the Massachusetts border.

The plans, unveiled at a Tiverton Town Council meeting, depict two possible scenarios based on whether the casino is built with an included hotel or not.

The casino would include about 1,000 slot machines, 25 to 35 table games and could include a full restaurant and performance center.

Twin River Chairman John E. Taylor Jr. said the plan was based on the input of more than 1,200 residents who met with company officials over the last few months and expressed concerns that ran the gamut: noise, traffic, light pollution, architecture, public safety and the economic impact on the town.

Taylor said the plan puts the facility on the southwest corner of the lot to limit the view from nearby homes. Traffic concerns will be mitigated with a rotary by the entrance and conceptual renderings showed two possible styles. One would mimic “Newport shingle” design and the other would be based on the design of the new Tiverton Library, which was oft-cited as a pleasing design by residents during meetings with Twin River, Taylor said.

Twin River holds rights to buy a 45-acre site 400-feet from the border with Fall River, Mass., and off William S. Canning Boulevard (Route 81).

If approved, Twin River would transfer Newport Grand’s existing gaming license to the new casino.

Twin River completed its purchase of Newport Grand in June.

Twin River estimates that the gaming license could be transferred to the Tiverton Casino by mid-2018 at the earliest, according to a presentation prepared by the company.

The company expects to present a finalized proposal to the Town Council by November.

The gaming license transfer will require voter approval and that means the Rhode Island General Assembly will have to pass legislation putting a question on the ballot in Nov. 2016.

Tiverton voters will have final say in the statewide referendum, even if a majority of voters in Rhode Island vote yes, as was the case with Newport Grand’s bid to add table games to the slot parlor in 2014.

Photo Courtesy: Twin River Management Group