Twin River Casino Hotel, previously Lincoln Park, is a casino, hotel, and former race track in Lincoln, Rhode Island, owned and operated by Twin River Worldwide Holdings. The facility has 162,000 square feet (15,100 m²) of gaming space, with 4,108 slot machines, 97 table games, and 23 poker tables.^[1] The hotel has 136 rooms. Other amenities include a 29,000-square-foot (2,700 m²) event center, 16 eateries, 7 bars, and a racebook.^[1]

Apr 15, 2016  The Twin River Casino is a more convenient place for poker players located in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and most of Rhode Island than are the two excellent, well established rooms. Twin River Casino Hotel Poker Room. Twin River's 23-table Poker Room is situated on its smoke-free casino on the 2nd Floor and offers 7-Card Stud and Texas Hold’em - Limit and No Limit. Occasionally on the weekend, they spread 7 Card Stud as well. Open 24/7, room amenities include TVs, auto shufflers, cocktail service, comps, valet paring and more.

• 1History

History[edit]

Lincoln Downs opened on July 7, 1947.^[2] It was built by B. A. Dario, owner of the Pascoag Park Racetrack in Pascoag, Rhode Island, and accommodated 5,800 spectators in the grandstand, plus 2,000 more in the clubhouse and turf club.^[3]

In 1976, Dario closed the track early, stating that it had lost $400,000 in 28 days, due to the loss of customers to Connecticut's off-track betting and jai alai, and the state's refusal to allow the track to keep a larger share of the betting handle.^[4] Later that year, Dario sold his 82 percent controlling interest in the park to the Taunton Greyhound Association.^[5] The track was renamed as Lincoln Greyhound Park, and began its first season of greyhound racing in June 1977.^[6]

In April 1977, Dario claimed he had a deal to purchase Narragansett Park, but those claims proved unsubstantiated.^[7]

In December 1989, the owners, Alfred Ross and Joseph Linsey of Florida, agreed to sell Lincoln Greyhound Park, along with four other dog tracks in Colorado and South Dakota, for an estimated total of $80 million to United Track Racing, a joint venture between Wembley plc (the British parent company of Wembley Stadium) and United Tote (a Montana-based supplier of computerized wagering systems for racetracks).^[8][9] United Tote was charged with managing the tracks, due to Wembley's lack of experience in the American pari-mutuel market.^[10] Wembley bought out United Tote's 20 percent stake in the company in August 1992.^[10]

Rhode Island's 1991-92 budget authorized Lincoln and the state's other pari-mutuel facility, Newport Jai Alai, to offer off-track betting for 104 days a year. Simulcasting of horse races from other tracks began in July 1991.^[11]

In 1992, with pari-mutuel handles dropping due to competition from the newly opened Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, Rhode Island authorized video lottery terminals with poker and blackjack games to be installed at Lincoln Park and Newport Jai Alai. Lincoln came online in September 1992 with 189 machines.^[12] By 1993, the number had increased to 900.^[13] That year, the property's name was shortened to Lincoln Park, to emphasize that it offered simulcasting and electronic gaming in addition to greyhound racing.^[14]

Transformation to Twin River[edit]

In 2003, Lincoln Park and two executives were indicted on federal charges related to an alleged scheme in 2000 and 2001 to pay up to $4 million to the law firm of Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood to gain support for an expansion of the track's slot parlor, and to block a rival casino proposed by the Narragansett Indian Tribe.^[15] In the wake of the accusations, Governor Donald Carcieri demanded that the track be sold to new owners before negotiations could continue on the proposed expansion.^[16] A bidding war for Wembley ensued between MGM Mirage and BLB Investors (a partnership of the Waterford Group, Kerzner International, and Starwood Capital).^[17] BLB made the winning offer of $553 million in May 2004,^[17] but withdrew from the deal just two months later due to concerns about potential competition from the Narragansett casino.^[18] A new agreement was later reached for BLB to buy Wembley's five American race tracks, including Lincoln, for a total of $455 million, and the sale closed in July 2005.^[19]

BLB undertook a $220 million expansion which opened in March 2007 under a new name, Twin River Casino.^[20]

BLB filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009, and said it would have to end dog racing for the casino to survive.^[21] The company's reorganization was largely resolved by November 2010,^[22] with ownership transferred to its lenders, a group led by Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Sankaty Advisors,^[23] but the bankruptcy case remained open until September 2011.^[24]

In November 2012, voters statewide and in Lincoln approved a referendum allowing live table games at Twin River. A similar referendum for the Newport Grand was rejected by Newport voters. Table games began operating in June 2013.^[25]

In March 2015, Twin River agreed to purchase the Newport Grand.^[26]

The casino added a poker room in December 2015.^[27]

Construction began in May 2017 on a four-story hotel attached to the casino.^[28] The hotel opened in October 2018 with 136 rooms.^[29]

In November 2018, Twin River opened the first sportsbook in Rhode Island and began offering sports betting.^[30]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abForm 10-K: Annual Report (Report). Twin River Worldwide Holdings. April 1, 2019. p. 26 – via EDGAR.
2. ^'Boston Man first at Lincoln Downs'. New York Times. AP. July 8, 1947. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
3. ^Blunk, Frank M. (April 29, 1956). 'From jitney to millions: Rise of a turfman'. New York Times. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
4. ^'Lincoln Downs closing for rest of '76'. New York Times. AP. August 8, 1976. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
5. ^'Lincoln Downs 'goes to dogs''. New York Times. AP. December 17, 1976. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
6. ^'Lincoln Park begins June 23'. Washington Post. AP. June 11, 1977. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
7. ^https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19770407&id=BSZJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WQYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2608,1125020
8. ^O'Neill, Phil (January 24, 1990). 'British buying Lincoln track'. Worcester Telegram & Gazette. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
9. ^Sleeth, Peter (December 22, 1989). 'British firm buying 3 Colo. dog tracks'. Denver Post. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
10. ^ ^abHiday, Jeffrey L. (August 13, 1992). 'Wembley takes full control of race track'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
11. ^Gray, Ed (July 30, 1991). 'Lincoln bettors enjoy horsing around'. Boston Herald. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
12. ^Gray, Ed (October 1, 1992). 'Video games for dog days'. Boston Herald. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
13. ^Aucoin, Don (April 18, 1993). 'R.I. video poker fans say game is costly but fun'. Boston Globe. – via Factiva (subscription required)
14. ^Eric Woolson (June 13, 1993). 'Track gets lift from video lottery'. The Courier. Waterloo, IA – via Newspapers.com. (Part 2 of article)
15. ^Osborne, Alistair (September 11, 2003). 'Wembley chief to face $4.5m bribery charge'. The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
16. ^Gregg, Katherine; Anderson, Liz (October 8, 2003). 'Rhode Island governor wants new owners for greyhound track'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
17. ^ ^abMayerowitz, Scott (May 6, 2004). 'MGM Mirage drops bid for Lincoln Park, leaving one bidder'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
18. ^Freyer, Felice (July 6, 2004). 'Bidder quits effort to buy firm that owns Lincoln Park'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
19. ^Florin, Karen (July 20, 2005). 'Wolman, partners conclude deal for R.I.'s Lincoln Park'. The Day. New London, CT. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
20. ^Keister, Rebecca (March 24, 2007). 'Taking chance on Twin River'. The Sun Chronicle. Attleboro, MA. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
21. ^Friess, Steve (June 27, 2009). 'A casino's plan to open 24 hours a day draws ire'. New York Times. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
22. ^Grimaldi, Paul (November 10, 2010). 'Twin River wins license transfer'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
23. ^Grimaldi, Paul (October 20, 2010). 'Bank group clears a hurdle'. Providence Journal. – via Factiva (subscription required)
24. ^Hallenbeck, Brian (October 1, 2011). 'Twin River bankruptcy case closes'. The Day. New London, CT. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
25. ^Paul Grimaldi (June 17, 2013). 'Twin River casino in R.I. expected to draw new crowd of gamblers now that it has table games'. Providence Journal. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
26. ^Grimaldi, Paul (March 4, 2015). 'Twin River makes deal to buy rival Newport Grand'. Providence Journal. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
27. ^'Twin River Casino introduces poker as competition ramps up'. Washington Times. AP. December 4, 2015. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
28. ^Bogdan, Jennifer (May 2, 2017). 'Construction starts on 135-room hotel at Twin River Casino'. Providence Journal. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
29. ^Nicole Dotzenrod (October 24, 2018). 'Twin River Hotel open for business'. The Valley Breeze. Lincoln, RI. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
30. ^Gouker, Dustin (November 21, 2018). 'Rhode Island Sports Betting Launches Monday At Twin River Casino'. Legal Sports Report. Retrieved December 4, 2018.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 41°53′18.1″N71°26′55.4″W / 41.888361°N 71.448722°W

DOVER — Now under new management, Dover Downs has closed its poker room.

The casino, which became part of Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. at the end of March, moved its poker tables to the casino floor last week.

Despite rumors the entire poker staff had lost its jobs, only one person was laid off, according to casino management.

“Today is our first day of poker on the floor, so we do have poker! There will be NO poker room on the third floor anymore. The Poker tables now on the Casino floor answer to table games and no longer operate as a separate entity,” Nicholas Polcino Jr., the new vice president and general manager, said in a statement Friday.

“All other personnel (Poker Director is no longer with the company) that could be transferred to table games were transferred. The employees that only had poker experience have been given the opportunity to learn other games as well so they are able to transfer between various games if they desire.”

As a result of the closure poker tournaments were canceled several weeks ago, according to casino staff.

Located on the third floor, the room formerly used for poker once served as a place for individuals to watch simulcast horse racing.

A spokeswoman for Twin River initially denied the poker room was closing. A second spokeswoman later confirmed the room would no longer host table games.

The deal with Twin River, a Rhode Island-based company that operates casinos and hotels in Rhode Island and Mississippi and a horse track in Colorado, was announced in July just weeks after lawmakers approved tax relief for the state’s three casinos.

The merger included Dover Downs’ 500-room hotel and banquet hall. Dover International Speedway remains owned by Dover Motorsports, which split off from the gaming company in 2002.

Twin River Casino Poker Room Review

Supporters said the changes — lowering the slot tax rate 1 percent, cutting the table game tax rate almost in half and suspending the $3 million table game license fee — were necessary to help protect jobs and the nine-figure sum the state annually receives from the casinos.

State Sen. Trey Paradee, a Dover Democrat who was one of the chief backers of casino tax relief, said Friday he would be disappointed if layoffs follow the merger but believes the legislation approved last year was good policy.

“We really put them in the position (where) they were just treading water,” he said.

The casino, the only public corporate gambling establishment in Delaware, lost money in two of the last five years and made a net profit of $30,000 in 2018.

At the end of 2018, Dover Downs had 1,388 employees, 906 of whom were full-time.

Rivers Casino Poker Room

Several top executives with Dover Downs were let go or retired earlier this spring.

Rivers Casino Poker Room Tournaments

Staff writer Matt Bittle can be reached at 741-8250 or mbittle@newszap.com.Follow @MatthewCBittle on Twitter.