Posted on: June 9, 2024, 11:35h. 

Last updated on: June 9, 2024, 11:35h.

The Rhode Island Senate last week approved legislation to allow the state’s two commercial casinos to lend higher amounts of cash to high rollers.

Senate Bill 3040 seeks to amend the state’s gaming regulations to permit Bally’s Twin River Lincoln and Bally’s Tiverton to double the credit they can lend to VIPs and other gamblers wishing to bet big.

Under Rhode Island’s present rules, the two brick-and-mortar casinos can lend up to $50,000 per player in cash. SB3040 would take the cap to $100,000.

Bally’s asked state Sen. President Dominick Ruggerio (D-North Providence) for the higher lending line. The Rhode Island-based gaming corporation said the amendment is needed to allow its casinos to compete with gaming resorts in neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts where there are no limits.

Opponents Raise Problem Gambling Concerns

State Sen. Sam Bell (D-Providence) was among the “no” votes for SB3040. He pondered why a casino should need to allow a gambler to lose more than $50,000 in a single day.

This is bad,” Bell declared. “Going into debt from gambling is dangerous. We should not maximize profit when it comes to an addictive product.”

Bally’s says many high rollers have the financial ability to weather such losses. Extending credit isn’t to provide gamblers with money they don’t have but to provide them with an easier, safer means of obtaining large sums of cash than carrying tens of thousands of dollars in bills into the business.

Credit, or “markers,” must be repaid by the player within a certain timeframe, typically 15 to 45 days. Casinos also don’t lend markers to players without doing a credit check.

The Rhode Island House has until June 30 to pass the casino credit bill to Gov. Daniel McKee’s (D) desk.

Casino Smoking Remains

Legislation introduced in February to overhaul the state’s clean indoor air law that provides indoor smoking exceptions for Rhode Island’s casinos and pari-mutuel wagering facilities won’t reach McKee’s desk this year.

In May, House Bill 7500 was tabled by the House Finance Committee to allow a “further study” to be completed on the economic implications of forcing gaming venues to go smoke-free. Rhode Island’s Public Health and Workplace Safety Act passed in 2024 allows for indoor casino smoking.

Bally’s in 2022 announced that tobacco smoking would no longer be permitted at table games.

A grassroots coalition of Bally’s casino workers continues to lobby state lawmakers in Providence to pass legislation to free their workplaces of secondhand smoke. Ruggerio, however, one of the most powerful lawmakers in the heavily Democrat-controlled General Assembly, is opposed to such a change.

The Senate president last year said gamblers who don’t want to be around tobacco smoke should “stay home” and gamble online. Ruggerio is a smoker himself and has battled cancer in the past.

Saturday crowned another batch of high school champions in Rhode Island, ending the spring season for all but a pair of teams, and The Journal staff — Eric Rueb, Bill Koch and Jake Rousseau, along with freelancer William Geoghegan and photographers David DelPoio, Louis Walker III and Glenn Osmundson — was there at every stop, from the baseball and softball diamonds, and the volleyball courts, at Rhode Island College to storied Cardines Field in Newport.

Here’s a wrap-up of Saturday’s championship action.

BASEBALL

Hendricken sweeps its way to state championship

Bishop Hendricken star Griffin Crain had a game he’ll remember the rest of his life. The Louisville commit threw a complete game on the mound and the Hawks offense mounted a pair of rallies that made the difference in the Division I state championship against South Kingstown. Hendricken won, 7-1, to finish a Division I sweep in this best-of-3 title round at RIC’s Pontarelli Field.

“It feels like I needed it,” Crain said of winning the title. “It feels like I’m complete. Going three years without it, a couple of heartbreakers — it’s just great to be out of here with a win.” 

Westerly meets its high expectations

The Bulldogs put the finishing touches on a second Division II championship at Rhode Island College, more glory for a town and a team that endured three decades without something similar. Jack Tenuta, Zach Miner and Tom Fiore all starred at Pontarelli Field. East Greenwich was blitzed early and couldn’t catch up, as Westerly eased to a 6-3 victory and a best-of-3 series sweep.

“I’m just happy we could represent the community in a positive way,” Tenuta said. “Everybody was behind us. It just feels great to do this for our town and do this for our community.”

Not done yet

The third baseball championship game of the day wasn’t as decisive as the first two. That’s because West Warwick, which lost its first game of the season on Wednesday when Rogers stunned the Wizards, 3-1, in the best-of-three Division III title series, returned to form in Game 2 at Cardines Field. West Warwick rolled to an 11-1 victory over Rogers and forced a winner-take-all game Sunday at 1 p.m. (Check providencejournal.com/sports later today for the outcome.)

SOFTBALL

Chieftains outlast Bulldogs for Div. III championship

In what was a see-saw battle for the Division II championship, it was a freshman who delivered in the bottom of the eighth for Ponaganset against Westerly at Rhode Island College. Ponaganset’s Ava DiFiore opened the bottom of the eighth with a double and two batters later, freshman Mia Duncan hit a single that brought DiFiore home with the winning run in a 9-8 victory over Westerly that gave the Chieftains the D-II title.

“I’m ecstatic,” Duncan said. “There’s really no thoughts going on up there. I’m just over the moon right now.”

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

La Salle clinches second-straight state title

The Rams appeared ready to claim another championship, but surrendered five straight match points to North Kingstown to turn a fifth-set lead into a deficit in the Division I boys volleyball finals. But La Salle wasn’t going to be put away without its own fight for the crown on Saturday at Rhode Island College. Christopher Benell won a point in the middle to regain the lead, and again back on match point, the Rams turned to their star.

Ephraim Abhulime, lined up on the outside, loaded up for the game-winning block. And the senior came through with a denial on North Kingstown’s spike in an emphatic return-to-sender finish for a 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 16-25, 17-15) win for La Salle’s second consecutive state championship.

“I’m ecstatic at that point after the block,” Abhulime said. “I was hoping to bring it home because they were fighting for every ball, so it felt great to get the last play of the game.”

Confident Pawtucket walks the walk

Hayson Ortiz called his team’s shot after the semifinals. He knew Pawtucket boys volleyball was destined to win the Division III crown before Saturday’s match even began, and he said so. And the No. 1 seeded Shea/Tolman (19-1) co-op made good on the junior’s claim as Pawtucket swept its way to the league crown, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-12), against Central Falls.

“I knew we were going to win and we came in and won in three sets,” Ortiz said. “Once the ball fell out of bounds [for the final point], I was just so excited.”

Pawtucket never trailed by more than a point against second-seeded Central Falls (17-3) to cap a dominant season.

Through thirteen matches, Rhode Island FC is tied for the worst attack in the entire USL Championship. They’ve scored only eleven times in those thirteen matches.

Based on that fact, the results have been mostly predictable; surprising only in that they’ve snuck out more draws than they perhaps have a right to. In a sense, their ability to draw so many matches appears to have been lucky. That luck ran out as they lost 2-0 at home to Detroit City FC on Saturday evening.

Though it was only Rhode Island FC’s second home loss, they’re still searching for their first home victory, and by the time they get their next chance, it will have been more than three full months since their inaugural campaign began.

RIFC head coach Khano Smith made significant changes to the lineup tonight, as midfielder Jack Panayotou was recalled from his loan by the New England Revolution after only four matches with Rhode Island, and the underperforming striker Albert “Chico” Dikwa did not make the bench due to injury. In their stead Conor McGlynn and Prince Saydee earned starts.

The first half started ominously. Detroit City FC — searching for their first win in six matches — spent much of the first twenty minutes in Rhode Island’s half. Though Rhode Island FC recovered to spend the next fifteen in Detroit’s, it continued to be unable to find the final man on any cross or pass into Detroit’s final third.

Finally, in the 36th minute, Koke Vegas saved a close shot that rebounded to his right, and Detroit City FC midfielder Maxi Rodriguez smashed it home. Rhode Island FC was unable to muster any threat in the remainder of the first half.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first did and within the first two minutes, Detroit City FC were threatening to score again. Although the chance was calmly caught by Vegas, the pressure was kept on and the RIFC goalkeeper was again forced to make a great save in the 50th minute.

Vegas was perhaps the brightest spot for RIFC tonight. The veteran keeper continues to make important plays that keep his team in matches that they sometimes seem to have no business holding on to.

Though Rhode Island’s Mark Doyle and Noah Fuson both made threatening attacks shortly after Vegas’ save, only the latter resulted in anything positive.

In the 64th minute, Detroit City FC winger Ben Morris raced down RIFC’s left sideline and crossed the ball to Detroit midfielder Victor Bezerra who slotted it past Vegas’ left side to make the score 2-0.

Rhode Island FC no longer looked to be even competitive in the match beyond that point. Although Vegas made another great save in the 81st minute to keep the score differential from worsening, RIFC’s anemic attack failed to make anything of it.

After thirteen matches, questions must certainly begin to be asked about why this team – which on paper is perhaps one of the best in the USL Championship, with such league stars as Dikwa, Vegas, Fuson, Clay Holstad, and Grant Stoneman – cannot seem to find the back of the net to save their lives, having scored only ten goals (the eleventh being an own goal) in those thirteen matches. Fans are becoming frustrated, and soon something will certainly have to give.

Rhode Island FC fans can catch their club in action on Wednesday, June 12th, as they travel to Memphis, Tennessee to play Memphis 901 FC at 8:00 pm ET.