THE RIGHT MOVE: GAMING CONTRACT OVERPAYMENTS

Please call your Reps and Senators and tell them to vote NO on IGT/Twin River Insider Deal! http://bit.ly/findyourelectedofficialri Please call Governor McKee and tell him to VETO IGT/Twin River Insider Deal! (401) 222-2080

RI GAMING CONTRACT 2021

​DOCUMENTS

2021  RI House Minority Leader Statement on Passage of the IGT/Twin River 20-year, No-bid Gaming Contract State House, Providence, RI - Rhode Island House Minority Leader Blake A. Filippi offers the following statement regarding the passage of the amended legislation authorizing the Governor to negotiate the IGT/Twin River 20-year, no-bid deal: May 11, 2021  ​RI Gaming Contract  As the third largest revenue stream for government operations in the State of Rhode Island, our next gaming contract has the potential for substantial economic impact in job growth and creation. It is imperative that this deal benefit the taxpayers--which may be best achieved through a proper bidding process. ​April 24, 2021 ​2020 Letter from House GOP to the Members of the Rhode Island General Assembly expressing concerns on the proposed gaming contract July 23, 2020  Letter from IGT/Twin River to Members of the Rhode Island General Assembly July 23, 2020 Letter from Alan Hassenfeld July 22, 2020​​

View All

LEGISLATION

2021 PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE House Bill No. 5223 SUB A {LC1065/A/2} House Bill No. 5223 BY  Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Abney, Ackerman, Shallcross Smith, Kennedy, Corvese ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ENABLING THE STATE LOTTERY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE TO CONTRACT WITH IGT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION AND TWIN RIVER (Enables the state lottery division of the department of revenue to enter into a contract extension with IGT Global Solutions Corporation and contract extensions with Twin River and affiliates of Twin River.) 2020 House Bill No. 7523  SUB A (Governor - SUB A/3) BY  Mattiello, Shekarchi, Kennedy, Abney, Edwards ENTITLED, AN ACT ENABLING THE STATE LOTTERY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE TO CONTRACT WITH IGT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION AND TWIN RIVER (Enables the state lottery division of the department of revenue to enter into a contract extension with IGT Global Solutions Corporation and contract extensions with Twin River and affiliates of Twin River.) 2019  House Bill No. 6266 (Governor) BY  Mattiello, Shekarchi, Kennedy, Abney, Edwards ENTITLED, AN ACT ENABLING THE STATE LOTTERY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE TO CONTRACT WITH IGT GLOBAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION (This act would enable the state lottery division of the department of revenue to enter into a contract extension with IGT Global Solutions Corporation.)​

Wrong Gaming Bill at the Wrong Time

House Minority Leader Blake Filippi offers comments prior to the House Finance Committee vote on the insider gaming deal:   “This contract has so many problems, and I believe we are doing a major disservice to the taxpayers of this State. This is the wrong bill and the wrong time and it has to go out to bid before we make a decision.”​

MEDIA ​

2021  Reworked No-Bid Lottery Deal for IGT Partnership Approved by RI House Panel The Providence Journal, Providence —  A reworked 20-year no-bid Lottery deal for IGT and its new partner in Rhode Island's gambling world won the approval of a key House committee on Thursday, after a tough year that has led the House GOP leader to question whether R.I. should rethink the numbers. Article, The Providence Journal  May 7, 2021 Rhode Island's House Panel Approves Renegotiated Gambling Deal  YOGONET Gaming News - A reworked 20-year no-bid Lottery deal for International Game Technology (IGT) and its new partner, Bally's Corporation, in Rhode Island won the approval of a key House committee yesterday with a 10-2 vote, after a tough year that has led the House GOP leader to question whether Rhode Island should rethink the numbers, reports the Providence Journal. May 7, 2021 2020 Battle over IGT/Twin River deal heats up ahead of expected vote next month  Article, The Public's Radio July 23, 2020 Ex-Hasbro CEO Hassenfeld questions R.I.’s proposed no-bid Lottery contract Article, The Providence Journal  July 22, 2020

View All

NO DEAL TO A BAD DEAL

After two years of scrutiny and substantiated faults in the proposed gaming contract, the "amended" 20 year, no-bid deal revealed today is STILL A BAD DEAL FOR TAXPAYERS ACROSS THE OCEAN STATE. CALL YOUR REPS, HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP, AND THE GOVERNOR AND TELL THEM TO FOLLOW THE LAW AND GO OUT TO BID.

FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL

INFOGRAPHICS

2021 Overpayments  Your Rep, Senator and the Governor should be good stewards of taxpayer resources. To OVERPAY the 20 year, No Bid Gaming Contract by $800M is unconscionable. Some want to raise your taxes, when negotiating this contract for a better deal should come first May 20, 2021 Follow the Law and Go Out to Bid! The current gaming contract is not up until 2023 and the proposed contract is being rushed through the General Assembly full of costly overpayments...to the tune of $1.8B May 7, 2021 New Deal  This "new deal" contains $1.8B in Taxpayer Overpayments to two RI Companies.  It is clear we need a competitive bidding process to protect Rhode Islanders.  Imagine what we could do with those funds. ​May 6, 2021  "New" Insider "Deal" The layers of taxpayer overpayments in this "new" insider "deal" are astounding. Marc Crisafulli would be an authority on this matter. May 6, 2021

VIEW ALL

THIS 20 YEAR NO BID DEAL SHOULD BE REJECTED ON PRINCIPAL ALONE WITHOUT EVEN GETTING INTO HOW BAD IT IS FOR THE STATE.

From Representative Brian C. Newberry: House Finance passed last night the IGT-Twin River 20 year no bid “deal” and it goes to the House Floor likely next week.  This “deal” is the epitome of crony capitalism / corporate welfare.  It, and more specifically the manner in which it came about, is everything wrong with politics in this state.  On its merits it’s a bad deal for the people of Rhode Island but what is particularly galling is that it is just another in a long line of examples of how Twin River – in this case in partnership with IGT – hides behind well connected lobbyists to cut financial deals with the State without any real public input or, worse, any explanation.   The video clip below is from April 24, 2013, eight years ago.  It is from a Finance committee hearing where the Twin River representatives sat in the back of the room quietly observing, not even bothering to publicly comment let alone oppose, a measure that would have cost them over $1,000,000 in profit a year.  Why? Because they knew in their arrogance that they had the ear of the Democratic leadership and that was all that mattered. The leadership has changed but Twin River and the way it does business has not.  This 20 year no bid deal should be rejected on principal alone without even getting into how bad it is for the State.  Call your Representatives and Senators and urge them to vote no. This isn’t about party politics.  This is about open and transparent government for the benefit of the voters not mainly out of state shareholders.

VIDEO CLIPS

House Minority Leader Blake A. Filippi: Wrong Gaming Bill at the Wrong Time House Committee on Finance  May 6, 2021 State Representative Brian C. Newberry:  2013 House Bill No. 5156​ House Committee on Finance  April 24, 2013  The Right Move: Gaming Contact Overpayments The Right Move  May 8, 2021  House Minority Leader Blake A. Filippi: Leasing Provisions  House Committee on Finance – Hearing on Proposed IGT/Twin River No-Bid Gaming Contract July 24, 2020

View More on YouTube

LIKE THIS PAGE? SHARE IT WITH OTHERs