Rhode Island casino to compete with Plainridge Park

The casino that opened in the Ocean State is only 45 miles away from Plainridge Park Casino.

US.- Rhode Island saw the opening of a new full-scale casino on Saturday, and the facility is set to compete with Plainridge Park Casino, located only 45 miles away but in neighbouring state Massachusetts.

The opening of the Tiverton casino follows the expansion at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, which is located only 20 miles from Plainridge. Patty Doyle, a spokeswoman for Tiverton, which is owned by the same company that owns Twin River, said that Plainridge is not the target, and sees Twin River as a competitor for the Massachusetts facility.

Lance George, general manager of Plainridge, said: “Rhode Island is doing everything in their power to win back customers by expanding their offerings with a very deliberate strategy along the Massachusetts border. We look forward to further developing our marketing program and competing to the best of our abilities.”

A political science professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Clyde Barrow, said that while he hasn’t done a specific economic impact analysis for the new casino, it will have some impact on Plainridge’s revenues, given its proximity. “However, I do not think it will be significant. Plainridge only had a 5 per cent negative impact on Twin River, but given their relative sizes, it is likely that Tiverton will have a more significant impact on Plainridge — somewhere in the low double digits on a percentage basis,” he added.