Lawmakers force dog racing at bankrupt track

PROVIDENCE—Lawmakers say a bankrupt gambling hall in Lincoln must conduct at least 200 days of greyhound racing a year even as the track tries to end the money-losing races.

The Rhode Island House voted 60-11 on Friday to approve the legislation. Since it was changed on the House floor, the bill goes back to the Senate, which earlier approved it.

The fight over greyhound racing at the Twin River racetrack could thwart a bankruptcy plan meant to protect the income the state receives from electronic slot machines at the facility. That income is the third-largest revenue source for the state.

“During the entire negotiations with Twin River on restructuring, our primary objective was to save $245 million. If anything doesn’t go smoothly in the consensual bankruptcy, the state could have serious financial problems,“ said Gary Sasse, of the Rhode department of revenue.

Sen. Frank Ciccone (D-North Providence), the bill’s sponsor, said the state will be just fine.

“BLB and Twin River are saying that all of their woes are based on the greyhounds. Isn’t that amazing?“ he said.

Under the legislation, Twin River would be required to expand greyhound racing despite a preliminary bankruptcy agreement with Gov. Don Carcieri’s administration that seeks to end the races.

Even though Ciccone’s bill is separate from the state budget, it might have a major impact on the resolution of the spending plan.

The new budget is set to go into effect Wednesday.