NEW: Senate Approves Table Game Vote for Newport Grand

NEW: Senate Approves Table Game Vote for Newport Grand

Blackjack, poker and roulette are all one step closer to being allowed in Newport after the State Senate approved legislation that will ask voters to decide if they would like table games at Newport Grand.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Maryellen Goodwin, would place the issue on the November ballot. The same question will already be asked about Twin River in Lincoln.

Any passage would require approval by a majority of voters statewide and in Newport and Lincoln, respectively.

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Rhode Island officials have expressed concern about the future of gaming in the state when Massachusetts opens three resort-style casinos and a slot parlor over the next decade. Gambling is the state’s third-largest revenue source, generating nearly $300 million annually.

According to a recent study commissioned by Governor Chafee, Rhode Island could lose $100 million or more in revenue every year if casinos open in Massachusetts, and that the addition of table games at RI venues could mitigate that impact.