Enter the Narragansett Indian tribe and Harrah’s Entertainment.? The two have partnered up together to open a privately-owned casino in West Warwick, RI.
Don’t wager on smoke-free gambling
February 5, 2007
By Scott Mayerowitz, Journal State House Bureau, smayerow@projo.com
By Scott Mayerowitz, Journal State House Bureau, smayerow@projo.com
(Rhode Island) Gamblers heading to the nonsmoking sections of Lincoln Park and Newport Grand might not be escaping the smoke after all.
A study commissioned by a New Jersey antismoking group shows significant levels of pollutants in the nonsmoking sections of the two gambling halls.
At Lincoln Park, the nonsmoking area was found to be 39 percent as polluted as the track’s smoking section. At Newport Grand, the pollutant levels were 17 to 37 percent of the levels in the smoking section.
The New Jersey Group Against Smoking Pollution (GASP) has been pushing to get Atlantic City to ban smoking in its 12 casinos. The City Council there had initially contemplated an absolute ban but recently moved to a plan where smoking would be prohibited in 75 percent of the gambling space.
The antismoking group conducted testing in Rhode Island as part of an effort to build their case that nonsmoking sections do not protect nonsmokers. They also found that the smoking sections of Rhode Island’s two gambling halls had heavy concentrations of smoke.
“How dismal that the separately walled and ventilated nonsmoking sections are still one-third as polluted as the extra-polluted smoking sections,” Regina Carlson, executive director of GASP said in a statement. “Clearly, at least in Rhode Island casinos, this so-called solution doesn’t work.”
“Bottom line, the only way to protect employees and patrons is to make casinos smoke free,” she said.
When Rhode Island banned smoking in all indoor public spaces on March 1, 2005, lawmakers made two exemptions. Lincoln Park and Newport Grand could allow smoking as long as they also provided nonsmoking sections.
New Jersey also exempted Atlantic City’s casinos from its smoking ban, but the City council is about to set its own restrictions. A vote on that partial ban is scheduled for Wednesday.
Rhode Island originally prohibited its cities and towns from enacting ordinances that were more restrictive than the state law. But that so-called preemption clause expired in October.
Lincoln and Newport could now theoretically ban smoking in their gambling halls, although there has been no move to do so.
Lincoln Park and Newport Grand spokeswomen both dismissed the findings of the tests done for GASP by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Spokesmen Both said they had not even been aware the testing was done.
“We don’t know where they tested. We don’t know how they tested,” said Lincoln Park spokeswoman Cynthia Stern.
She said the track routinely does its own testing, hiring an outside environmental firm with testing taking one to two weeks. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute tested at both facilities from Jan. 26 through Jan. 29.
Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Newport Grand, said “it’s difficult to respond to the results without knowing under what circumstances the testing was conducted nor how those results compare to industry standards.”
“The comfort and safety of our patrons is our first priority, Kempe added. “We welcome the opportunity to meet with GASP so they can share with us their results and we can take a look at how we can improve under their standards.”
Newport Grand did notice a situation where smoke was traveling down an escalator from the smoking to the nonsmoking areas and is taking action to fix it. As part of a planned expansion and renovation, the ventilation systems will be upgraded further.
At Lincoln Park, Stern said continuing construction has hurt air flow. She said that a new addition soon to open will include “state-of-the-art ventilation” and fix any air-quality problems.
Muth’s Truths
March 26, 2006
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March 26, 2006
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Private Enterprise Rolls Snake Eyes in Gambling Fight
While I recognize that an inordinate amount of hypocrisy is almost a prerequisite for politicians, the examples of such never cease to amaze, especially when it comes to Republicans.? Which brings me this week to Rhode Island.? And no, believe it or not, this does NOT relate to liberal Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee for a change.
Here’s the deal.? Back in 1973, the people of Rhode Island held a constitutional convention in which a state-run lottery was approved.? Then, in 1981, the state Supreme Court expanded the definition of “lottery” to include what became known as “video lotteries.”? You and I know “video lotteries” by their common name:? slots.
Anyway, video lotteries have since been approved for two Rhode Island “facilities,” one in Lincoln Park and the other in Newport Grand.? You and I know “facilities” by their common name: casinos.? The big difference being that the “house” in Lincoln Park and Newport Grand isn’t a privately-owned company, but the state.? So the net revenues generated at the facilities aren’t profits, they’re, well…taxes.
Enter the Narragansett Indian tribe and Harrah’s Entertainment.? The two have partnered up together to open a privately-owned casino in West Warwick, RI.? In both 2004 and 2005, state legislators passed bills allowing the people of West Warwick to vote for themselves on whether or not they wanted to approve the new privately-owned casino in their town.? However, the state’s Supreme Court overruled the General Assembly, saying the bills were unconstitutional.
To reach this decision, the court played one heck of a game of legal Twister.? Remember, the constitutional convention in 1973 only empowered the state to run a lottery.? It said nothing about casinos.? Then in 1992, slots were renamed and reclassified as video lotteries in order for the state to “constitutionally” open up the two government-owned casinos.? But now that a private firm wants to open up a competing casino, the court laughingly ruled that the constitution only allows the state to run a casino by equating a full-scale casino to a number-drawn lottery.
Thanks to this goofy ruling, the only way for the people of West Warwick to get a chance to vote for themselves whether or not to approve the proposed privately-owned casino is for the entire state to first vote on a constitutional amendment which clarifies the clear language of what is already crystal clear to the Average Joe: that casinos and lotteries are two completely different things.? But the only way for a constitutional amendment to make it on the ballot in Rhode Island is if the General Assembly approves and submits it.? There’s no petition option for citizens to gather signatures and place a measure on the ballot themselves.
Now here’s where the world-class hypocrisy comes in to play.
Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri boldly proclaimed earlier this month, “Let the people decide.”? He was talking about a measure which would allow citizens to gather signatures to put an issue on the ballot without having to go through the General Assembly.? But when asked about letting the people of West Warwick decide for themselves whether or not to approve the privately-owned casino, Carcieri just says no.? Why the forked tongue on letting “the people decide”?
“We already have gambling in Lincoln and Newport,” the governor said.
So?? If there are already casinos in his state, what’s the big deal about letting “the people” in communities OTHER than Lincoln and Newport have a casino, too?? Well, because ALL of the revenue from the Lincoln and Newport casinos goes to the state government – while the net revenue (after taxes) from the proposed West Warwick casino would go to a privately-owned business.
Heaven forefend!
Indeed, in objecting to a privately-owned casino project proposed for Johnston, RI, Gov. Carcieri actually said, “For every dollar such a new casino takes from Newport or Lincoln, Rhode Island is losing 35 cents.? Why put a third one in when it will draw from the other two?”
You see, the government hates competition.? There’s no objection to gambling.? There’s no objection to casinos.? A casino in another town would be fine, according to Gov. Carcieri, but only “if it’s operated and controlled by the state.”? Which is kinda like the old saying that you can get your car in any color you want…so long as it’s black.
It’s bad enough the Supreme Court decided that a tree was a goat, but for Gov. Carcieri to take a position that the people should be able to decide important public policy matters EXCEPT when those matters might limit government or promote free-market competition really takes the cake.
If Gov. Carcieri was anything close to an actual Republican, as opposed to a Lincoln Chafee Republican, he’d pressure the General Assembly to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot in November and let the people decide if the government should continue to hold a monopoly on gambling operations in the state.? And if the people say they want free-market gaming competition, then the people of West Warwick should get to decide if they want a casino in their back yard at the earliest opportunity.
Anything less on Gov. Carcieri’s part is pure, unadulterated hypocrisy.? And it’s darned hard to swallow.
