Rhode Island will hold another referendum in November asking voters if they want to expand gambling at the Newport Grand casino.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee on July 3 signed legislation that called for adding table games, including blackjack and roulette. Voters statewide and in Newport must approve the measure. Although it passed statewide in 2012, Newport voters rejected it.
Newport would get $1.5 million a year for the first six years, after investors seeking to buy Newport Grand finish a $40 million renovation. The city thereafter would get $1 million minimum annually from the state's share of video slots.
"I support casino gaming in Newport, both as a revenue generator and as a bulwark against competition from a potential casino in southeastern Massachusetts," Gov. Lincoln Chafee said in a statement.
Massachusetts approved casino gambling in 2011 and is considering applications for three regional casino-resort licenses, including one in the southeast. It also approved a slots license that Penn National Gaming Inc. will operate in Plainville, near the Rhode Island line.
