A slot parlor in Plainville Massachusetts is set to open on June 24th.  Ocean state gaming facilities have been bracing for the competition for years.

The Plainville facility will house some 12-hundred slot machines, and be the first legal slots parlor in the Bay state.  Rhode Island’s two gaming facilities, Twin River and Newport Grand slots parlor, currently contribute the third largest source of revenue to the state.  But with the opening of the Plainville slot parlor, that could change.  Rhode Island relies on out-of-state spending at the facilities, but increased competition could cut into revenues.

Plainville is 50 miles from Newport, and a mere 12 miles from Twin River.  Twin River has taken the offensive; proposing a four story hotel on its Lincoln Campus and announcing plans to purchase the lagging Newport Grand.

The Plainville slot parlor is just the beginning; three resort casinos are set to open up in the Boston area and Western Mass in the coming years.

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Reporter John Bender was the general assignment reporter for The Public's Radio for several years. He is now a fill-in host when our regular hosts are out.