Lincoln
Park Gets Makeover
As reported by the Connecticut
Day: " Bitter winds and rain couldn't dampen
the glitz and glamour Tuesday as three prominent
business partners pledged $125 million to transform
the tired Lincoln Park dog track into the Ocean
State's premier entertainment destination featuring
thousands of video slots, top entertainment
acts and upscale dining.
"During
a gala ribbon-cutting, Rhode Island dignitaries
and business leaders munched on shrimp, sipped
champagne and rubbed elbows with Elvis, Elton
John and Marilyn Monroe impersonators as BLB
Investors LLC described how it would spend the
next 18 months restoring the luster to the once-lustrous
Lincoln Park.
"The
top-to-bottom metamorphosis will add 160,000
square feet to the park, more than a thousand
new video lottery terminals (Rhode Island's
equivalent of a Connecticut slot machine), new
restaurants and bars and a 2,000-seat entertainment
venue and increase employment by more than 500
jobs.
"…State
officials welcomed the major renovation of Lincoln
Park, saying the 500-plus new jobs and new gaming
revenues are good news for Rhode Island's thirsty
fiscal coffers. As part of the agreement allowing
BLB to take over the park and add to its existing
footprint in Lincoln, R.I., the state will receive
60 percent of the net lottery terminals' revenue,
the highest payout to any state…"
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