Governor Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill which would force Twin River to continue dog racing, even though it isn't profitable.  Twin River, which has filed for bankruptcy, has an agreement to hand over the facility to lenders.  Part of the agreement stipulates that the facility would be allowed to operate 24/7, and dog racing would be discontinued.

     The union representing kennel workers, along with lobbyist for the dog owners, convinced legislators to pass a bill which allowed 24 hour gambling, but also forced the continuation of dog racing.  The lobbyists and unions claim 225 jobs would be lost, along with $7.5 million dollars in lost tax and gambling revenue.  If those numbers seem a bit questionable, the Governor agrees:


"according to the state's licensing records, there are fewer than half that number of individuals currently licensed and authorized to work at Twin River in positions related to the live dog races, some of whom work part-time and others in jobs related to off-track wagering on 'simulcast' races from out of state.


     Could it be?  Could the union and lobbyists be twisting the number of employees and exaggerating the actual impact?  It wouldn't surprise me.  The scariest part is that there are probably legislators who were convinced by these same numbers, and ignored the possibility of the state losing more than $25 million in revenue if the consensual bankruptcy falls through.

     Now that the bill was vetoed, it's tough to predict what will happen next.  The Senate and House aren't in session, and House speaker William Murphy is currently in Switzerland (I'm glad he's getting through the recession ok).  The House approved the vote 61 to 9, while the it was approved in the Senate by a vote of 32 to 1.  When the House and Senate eventually get around to doing their job, they will probably easily override the Governor's veto, which will jeopardize the consensual bankruptcy, and likely result in the state losing more than $25 million in gambling revenue.