on 01-17-2009 04:16

By JIM BARON

PROVIDENCE - With the state looking to eke out every available penny of new revenue to defray a $350 million  deficit, Pawtucket Rep. William San Bento wants to authorize another 500 video lottery terminals at Twin River and 400 more at Newport Grand.

San Bento introduced legislation to increase the number of authorized machines to 5,250 (up from 4,752) at Twin River, and 2,500 at Newport Grand (up from 2,101), in hopes they will help generate new income.
San Bento stressed that these are increases in the amount of machines authorized, not how many will actually be added.
"They may not need 500 extra machines," San Bento said Friday. "If so, they don't have to use them all. If all they need is 100, that's all they will have to put in."
San Bento says he doesn't really expect Newport Grand to need additional machines, because they have not installed all of the machines they are authorized for now.
Asked if Twin River could do what is necessary to accommodate the machines, given that the facility got into financial trouble by making extensive and expensive renovations, San Bento, vice chairman of the Permanent Joint Committee on State Lottery, said "they're not going to do any more renovations. They don't need to. There is plenty of room to put more machines."
A Twin River spokeswoman declined to comment when asked about space needed for additional machines.
The lawmaker noted that the lottery has been putting more "virtuals" games that simulate poker and blackjack and seat up to six at a time.
Because Twin River is maxed out on its authorized machines, San Bento said, "for every seat at a virtual, they have to give up a machine somewhere on the floor."
He noted that Twin River has a bar area in one of its second floor rooms that used to have about 30 machines right on the bar. "They always had a lot of people at that bar and now nobody is there," San Bento said. "I want to see that activated again. If you go to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun, all of their bars have machines."
Machines on the bar will generate revenue for the state not only from the gambling, but from the liquor sold as well, San Bento said.
"We need all the money we can grab," San Bento said. "That's what I've tried to do since I have been up here - bring more revenue to the state."