In the controversial subject of gambling expansion, it seems that everyone has an opinion. Lawmakers in Rhode Island have gone and done something rare in this day and age: They will let the people decide.

I know, I know. It’s just crazy. They’re acting like the government is supposed to work for the people or something. Late yesterday, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing a voter referendum on gambling expansion. Hours later, the state Senate passed the bill. The bill now goes to Republican Governor Donald Carcieri, who is expected to sign it. If he does, that sets the table for a voter referendum during the November election.

The gambling expansion at issue involves to existing state-licensed slot parlors, Twin River in Lincoln and Newport Grand in Newport. If the referendum is passed, the slot parlors could be adapted into full-fledged casinos, including blackjack and other popular casino table games.

The bill passed the House on a 62-12 vote and the Senate on a 21-14 vote. Representative Peter Petrarca, a Democrat, stated that he was excited about letting the people decide because they “are intelligent enough to know what they want to do,” thus contradicting the official Democratic party platform.

Not everyone is excited about it, though. Fellow Democrat Senator Teresa Paiva, who represents Newport, isn’t a fan of gambling expansion in her community. Many lawmakers expressed concerns for possible detrimental effects on the community, such as in increase in gambling addiction.

In the end, though, the lawmakers did the right thing. There are pros and cons to everything and in this case, they’re letting the people decide. Of course, this is also a clever way of protecting themselves politically. Gambling is a controversial issue and these lawmakers will be able to avoid responsibility for the outcome of the vote because they didn’t decide; the people did.

Rhode Island is seeking gambling expansion in part because Massachusetts is considering the same and they are worried about losing gambling customers across the border. In this tough economic climate, many states are looking to gambling expansion, including some considering legalizing and regulating intrastate online gambling.

Tags: casino expansion, gambling laws, gambling legislation, gambling referendum, Massachusetts gambling, online gambling, Rhode Island gambling

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