CONTRACT AWARDED FOR GAMING PROPOSAL STUDY

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​State House, Providence, RI — House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and House Republican Leader Blake Filippi today announced that Christiansen Capital Advisors, LLC has been awarded the contract for conducting the independent study on the 20-year gaming proposal under consideration by the Rhode Island General Assembly

Christiansen Capital Advisors will complete the detailed evaluation of the IGT proposal submitted for consideration by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the assessment of the analyses submitted supporting and disputing the proposal. The fixed contract amount for the study is $147,600, with anticipated additional expenses of $11,500. Christiansen was one of four professional gaming consulting firms that submitted in-depth study proposals for consideration. The proposal review considered content, process, impartiality, timeliness and expertise. Funding for this study is provided through the Joint Committee on Legislative Services (JCLS).

“I support the efforts to obtain an independent analysis of the proposal and related issues and I await the results,” said Speaker Mattiello.

“Bringing in third-party experts has become standard practice for governments that contract in this technical field,” said Leader Filippi. “This need is only magnified by the IGT proposal —particularly because competitive bidding has not been used, the proposed contract is for 20 years, and the conflicting testimony between IGT, the Raimondo administration, and Twin River about core elements of the proposed contract. We believe that outside experts will help us secure the best deal for Rhode Island taxpayers. I wish to thank the speaker for his support and open mind in engaging this process. We need to get this right. The future of gaming revenues in the state of Rhode Island is far too important.”

“This examination would not have been possible without the initial offer by Alan Hassenfeld to fund such a study. His concerns with the trajectory of technology in the world of gaming and the length of the proposed contract were duly noted. This detailed study will give us all, legislators and citizens alike, the information we need to make the best decision,” explained Deputy Minority Leader Robert Quattrocchi.

“Our hearings made it evident that we need a critical deep dive into the multitude of complex issues surrounding our gaming contract. Thankfully, we had a number of professional gaming consultants respond to our request for proposals. We wish to thank Spectrum Gaming Group, The Innovation Group and WhiteSand Gaming for their interest and participation in our process,” said Senior Deputy Minority Leader Justin Price.