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Rhode Island Tribe Looking for New Casino Partner

The tribe must first find a financial backer but expects to present a new proposal after the General Assembly reconvenes in January, said Matthew Thomas, the tribe's chief sachem.

"There is no need to break our necks and jump in with the first person who says, 'Do you want to dance?' We think we have a little bit of time to bring the most viable project we can, fairly and rationally," the chief told the Providence Journal.

The Narragansetts have been trying for nearly a decade to build a casino in the state.

Their latest proposal, on 60-plus acres in West Warwick, failed to get out of the House Finance Committee last year. The tribe was seeking lawmakers' support to ask voters statewide whether they approved of the plan, which would have provided the state millions of dollars in slot-machine revenues.

The backer for the project, Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas, is not expected to join the tribe in making another pitch to state lawmakers.

Guy Dufault, the former state Democratic Party director who has led the lobbying drive for the tribe's proposed casino, said Boyd is helping the tribe find a new partner.

Thomas says the tribe is eager to see if lawmakers are now more receptive to their project. The tribe may benefit from a slumping economy and a change of leadership on the House finance panel.

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