Twin River Casino Lincoln, Rhode Island

So I was shooting craps at twin river casino (Lincoln RI) over the weekend, and the new shift of dealers comes in. The nametag on the stick girl? Chulah! Sadly I couldn't take a pic and my GF had no idea wtf I was talking about. Did I win? No. No I did not.

https://www.wpri.com/news/ri-keeping-casinos-open-despite-warning-over-crowds-and-covid-19/
LINCOLN, R.I. (WPRI) – While Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo has urged Rhode Islanders to avoid large social gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials say they will not shutter the two state-owned casinos that generate millions of dollars for the state.
During a news conference Wednesday, Raimondo called for social distancing in an attempt to reduce spread of the new virus that causes COVID-19, a disease that’s killed more than 4,700 people worldwide. She asked residents to avoid gatherings larger than 250 people.
“We have one shot to get this right,” Raimondo said. “Everybody, get in the boat and row in the same direction, so we can put a lid on coronavirus.”
But the advice doesn’t appear to apply to the state-owned casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton where hundreds of people can meet to eat, drink and gamble on slot machines and table games.
Twin River, which operates the casinos, announced Thursday it would postpone concerts and other events, but otherwise remain open under aggressive cleaning measures it calls the “Aware and Active Program.”
“Safety of our employees and guests is of the utmost importance to us,” said Craig Sculos, general manager of Twin River in Lincoln. “The program reinforces the importance of personal hygiene, remaining at home when feeling ill and safe travel practices, among other recommendations.”
The decision underscores a significant challenge facing businesses and public health officials throughout the country: how to curb the spread of the illness while also minimizing harm to the economy.
In Rhode Island, the two casinos are important money makers for both publicly traded Twin River Worldwide Holdings and the R.I. Lottery, representing the state’s third largest revenue source. The state Lottery brings in about $400 million for the roughly $10 billion annual budget.
When asked Wednesday how she squared the recommendation against large gatherings and the continued operation of the two casinos, Raimondo mostly demurred.
“If you’re feeling healthy and you’re able to be in a space where you can have some distance — not prolonged contact — wash your hands regularly, then go ahead and do that,” Raimondo said.
Pressed on the question Thursday, Raimondo spokesperson Josh Block defended the policy.
“The casino is a large facility and we are ensuring they take every precaution to contain the spread of coronavirus,” Block said. “That includes ensuring the availability of soap and hand sanitizer and limiting close-proximity interactions. To the extent that the casino has large events or conferences planned, those will be cancelled or postponed.”
The state and Twin River did not immediately respond to questions about which entity has the authority to shut the casinos down. But such a move would not be without precedent.
Twin River closed the Lincoln casino in January 2015 during a blizzard, marking the first time that had happened since it became a 24/7 operation, according to the Twin River’s then-executive chairman John Taylor Jr.
“We don’t have locks on the door,” Taylor said on WPRI 12’s Executive Suite at the time. “We actually had to go out and get chains to lock the place up.”
The current circumstances, of course, are different than a one-time storm.
The lack of business for such a long time at the casinos would have a dramatic impact on finances. Twin River slot machines generated an average of $920 per minute in profit during the month of January, according to a Target 12 analysis of state revenue data.
R.I. Health Department Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott on Wednesday said the best way to protect against the virus at a casino is to wash your hands after using machines. But she also made it clear that any activity — including gambling — comes with some level of risk.
“The most important message is being able to stay home if you are ill,” Alexander-Scott said. “If everyone is able to do that, you can enjoy your activities at a casino knowing that there’s less of a risk of illness occurring.”

Ok, the topic is misleading, but hear me out. I've been playing craps for many years and I have a decent table in my basement. So, I'm very comfortable throwing dice.
I'm right-handed and prefer throwing from straight up the table.
I set my dice and usually do pretty well (15-20 throws).
Well, one night I was at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI. It was getting late and my wife was already up at our comp'd room. I decided to spend another hour or so at the craps table.
The table was pretty busy, but very cold, so I was playing minimums on 6 and 8 until it was my turn to throw.
I was located on the hook just next to 1st base. Slightly off from where I prefer to be. But, nevertheless, it was a decent place for a righty.
I get the dice and throw two 7's and a yo then a point. Now everyone (including myself) is placing bets in anticipation of a table changing throw.
I get the dice back, bets everywhere, I set the dice for throwing hardways, swing back.... and the dice take a shit right out of my fingers, land just past halfway down the table and you guessed it. 7 out.
I was deflated. I can hear people mumbling and complaining that I can't even reach the other end of the table. Needless to say, I walked away and went to bed.
But the story doesn't end there....
I got up the next morning, determined to go back down and vindicate myself as well as regain my pride.
I got my spot straight up the table, got the dice, two yo's and a point.
Bets are flying!
"Dice are out!"
I set them up, assuring myself that I'm not going to make myself look like an idiot again, nice controlled swing back with my eyes on my opposite-end passline target and..... it freakin' happened AGAIN!!
I knew then that it was not meant to be my weekend.
Color up! I gotta go.
I've been back many times and haven't had the same issue. But, man, this was one that I'll never forget.

Legalized sports betting has failed to generate the revenue expected in Rhode Island. The state initially budgeted for $23.5 million in gambling related revenues for the fiscal year ending in June 2019 (began in Nov. ’18). The target was lowered to $11.5 million in January, but R.I. lottery officials are reporting that the state has posted just 1.3% of that total ($150,000) to date. Governor Gina Raimondo attributed the shortfall to “a little bit [of a] later start than we thought”; wagering volume ($250 million anticipated vs. $813 million projected) and gambler performance (better than expected) have also forced the need for a rebalancing of the budget. While it’s all but assured that Rhode Island will fall short of January’s revamped projection, it should experience significant revenue growth in 2020; Raimondo signed a bill last week that will permit online sports betting within the state.
Howie Long-Short: The Patriots Super Bowl win contributed to a tough February for Rhode Island’s sportsbooks – the pair lost a combined $890,000 on $20.7 million in wagers during the month. They’re off to a better start in March, having raked in +/- $1 million over the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. The state is entitled to 51% of sports betting revenues (after expenses).
Rhode Island is certainly not a proxy for the country – it has just 2 licensed casinos – but “most of the states” that have passed legislation since PASPA was struck down have fallen short of projections. It’s certainly no coincidence that like Rhode Island, all but New Jersey (which out-earned Nevada for the 1st time in Jan.) failed to establish mobile/online as an option.
Rhode Island’s 2020 budget assumes sports betting will bring in $30.3 million in revenue, including $3 million in mobile fees. Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has acknowledged that the financial forecasts will need to be rebalanced (see: lowered) in the wake of fiscal 2019 results, but the nominal revenue Raimondo attributed to mobile – relative to the total income projected – makes me think they’re still getting bad “information” (or that they simply don’t understand the marketplace). New Jersey sportsbooks generated 80% of their January revenue from mobile and online platforms.
Once Twin Rivers begins taking online/mobile bets, business will pick up. It will become easier for residents of the state to place wagers and with Massachusetts yet to legalize sports betting, the Rhode Island licensee should pick up some action from residents of the neighboring state (via the William Hill app). For reference purposes, FanDuel claims 9% of its New Jersey business comes from those living in New York and another 4% from those based in Pennsylvania. The 2020 budget assumes mobile sports betting will be available next winter, but there’s a current push within the Assembly to have it in place by the start of the NFL season.
Rhode Island’s 2 casinos (Lincoln and Tiverton) are owned by Twin River Worldwide Holdings. On Friday, the company (which also owns the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, MS) “added to its geographic base” closing on the purchase of Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment. Shares of Twin River common stock subsequently began trading (at $29) on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TRWH.
Fan Marino: 75% of those who placed bets (against the spread) on the Super Bowl at Rhode Island’s 2 brick and mortar casinos took the hometown Patriots; as a result, the pair lost $2.3 million on the game. It’s not atypical for a sportsbook to take a loss on a big game – like the Super Bowl – when the hometown team covers. Fans bet with their hearts and the action tends to skew “towards the geographically favored team.” The books don’t move the lines to reflect the heavy action though, because doing so would leave them susceptible to sharp money (going the other way) taking advantage of mispriced odds.