Chamber President Laurie White and
Marc Crisafulli, senior executive at
Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc., sat down to discuss the reopening of
Twin River properties in Rhode Island, what Phase 3 may look like on the casino floor, the impact of gaming revenue on the state's budget, and COVID-19 testing in Lincoln.
Marc detailed the fascinating behind the scenes story of how the gaming contract between Twin River, IGT and the State of Rhode Island came together. He also provided an update on the status of the resulting planned investments in our state, including the consolidation of Twin River Worldwide Holdings corporate headquarters to Providence.
Highlights include:
- Testing...About 50,000 Rhode Islanders has been tested for COVID-19 at the state's testing site located at Twin River's Lincoln campus.
- Reopening...Marc says things are going better than expected, and all Twin River casinos throughout the U.S. are open to some extent.
- Invite only?...Phase 3 of reopening will not require an invitation for guests to come to the casino.
- Table games...It is likely that Twin River may install Plexiglas barriers between the dealer and players, limit the number players at each gaming table and cycle cards.
- Hotel...Hotel facilities are not yet open. Marc says they are not sure if the market is there yet. The hotel facilities will likely be one of the last amenities to reopen.