Chapter 019
2015 -- H 5798 AS AMENDED
Enacted 04/23/2015

A N   A C T
RELATING TO TWIN RIVER CASINO GAMBLING

Introduced By: Representatives O`Grady, Ackerman, Phillips, Casey, and Morin
Date Introduced: March 05, 2015

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Unless otherwise amended by this act, the terms, conditions, provisions and
definitions of Chapters 322 and 323 of the Public Laws of 2005 are hereby incorporated by
reference and shall remain in full force and effect.
     SECTION 2. Section 3 of Chapter 323 Chapters 322 and 323 of the Public Laws of 2005,
as amended, entitled "An Act Enabling the Division of Lotteries to Enter into a Master Video
Lottery Terminal Contract with UTGR, Inc. and to Enter into a Master Video Lottery Terminal
Contract With Newport Grand Jai Alai, LLC" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     SECTION 3. Authorized procurement of UTGR Master Contract
     (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of the general laws or regulations adopted thereunder
to the contrary, including, but not limited to, the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title 37 and Chapter
61 of Title 42 of the General Laws, and the provisions of section §42-61.2-7, the division is
hereby expressly authorized and empowered to enter into the master contract with UTGR for the
term and for the following purposes, all of which shall be set forth in more particular detail in the
master contract. The division is further authorized to approve the transfer of the video lottery
retailer license held by Lincoln Park, Inc. to UTGR and:
     (1) To license 4,752 video lottery terminals at Lincoln Park to UTGR during the term,
including first the 3,002 existing authorized video lottery terminals, and replacements thereof
from time to time, at Lincoln Park (herein, the “Eexisting Aauthorized Tterminals”), and then
1,750 additional video lottery terminals, and replacements thereof from time to time, as are
hereby authorized for Lincoln Park (herein, the “Aadditional Aauthorized Tterminals”);
     (2) Subject to adjustment as provided herein, to fix in the master contract the allocation of
net terminal income attributable to the Eexisting Aauthorized Tterminals as follows:
     (i) To UTGR when it shall become the licensed video lottery retailer: twenty-eight and
eighty-five hundredths percent (28.85%);
     (ii) The division shall have the authority to determine the placement and location of the
Eexisting Aauthorized Tterminals under the terms of this act and the master contract.
      (3) Subject to adjustment as provided herein, to fix in the master contract the allocation
of net terminal income attributable to the Aadditional Aauthorized Tterminals as follows:
     (i) To UTGR when it shall become the licensed video lottery retailer: twenty-six percent
(26%);
     (ii) The division shall have the authority to determine the placement and location of the
Tterminals under the terms of this act and the master contract.
     (4) To provide in the master contract that the allocations set forth above in Section §§
3(a)(2)(i) and Section 3(a)(3)(i) shall be calculated on a pro rata basis as follows:
     (i) nNet terminal income x [(number of Eexisting Aauthorized Tterminals in operation)/
total number of video lottery terminals in operation for the calculation period) x .2885; plus
     (ii) (nNumber of Aadditional Aauthorized Tterminals in operation for the calculation
period /total number of video lottery terminals in operation for the calculation period) x .2600].
     (5) To include in the master contract all other terms and conditions appropriate to
contracts of this type, as acceptable to the division.
     (6) To establish an advisory committee (the “advisory committee”), the purpose of which
shall be to consider and advocate programs and initiatives from time to time to benefit all
constituencies with an interest in the continued economic success of Lincoln Park, and in
particular, the recommendation of steps to coordinate the operation of Lincoln Park with the state
and municipal agencies to maximize the efforts of joint marketing campaigns designed to benefit
both Lincoln Park and other state-based businesses. The advisory committee shall meet quarterly,
shall select from one of its members a chairperson, and shall adopt by-laws to govern its
meetings. The advisory committee shall consist of seven (7) members as follows: One (1)
member representing UTGR or a UTGR business affiliate appointed by UTGR; one (1) member
representing the town of Lincoln, Rhode Island, appointed by the Lincoln town administrator
with the advice and consent of the Lincoln town council; one (1) member representing the Rhode
Island Convention Center Authority, which may be either a member of the board of
Commissioners or a designee appointed by the board; one (1) member representing the Greater
Providence Chamber of Commerce appointed by that entity; one (1) member representing the
Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce appointed by that entity, one (1) member
representing the Providence-Warwick Convention Visitors Bureau appointed by that entity, and
one public member appointed by the governor.
     (7) To provide for the following limitations on the use of Lincoln Park during the term:
no hotel will be constructed or operated at Lincoln Park or by the then owner or operator of
Lincoln Park (or their respective commonly controlled affiliates) in close proximity to the facility
construction of a hotel at or in close proximity to Lincoln Park shall remain subject to all of the
town of Lincoln's land use regulations and ordinances; and the facility will not be marketed as a
venue for conventions or events of the type which are part of the target market for the Rhode
Island convention center authority, the Providence Performing Arts Center, or the Veterans
Memorial Auditorium, including Broadway or Broadway-type plays, or any theatrical
performances of a musical, non-musical, or comedic variety (except that this limitation shall not
prohibit the facility from being marketed to hold, and from holding, holiday fairs for local
businesses, concerts, sporting and other entertainment events which are open generally to the
public and if held in an indoor events venue at Lincoln Park, with no stage house, and with a non-
fixed seating capacity of such venue not to exceed 1,500 people for musical concerts and comedy
shows, and 2,100 people for all other events).
     (8) To provide in the Mmaster Ccontract for slippage protection as defined in Ssection
2(y).
     (9) To provide in the Mmaster Ccontract for adjustment in the blended rate during the
eleventh through fifteenth years of the term as set forth in Ssection 5(b).
     (b) Under the terms of the master contract authorized under this act, UTGR shall agree
that during the term it shall undertake, among others, the following obligations:
     (1) UTGR will invest, in the aggregate, within three (3) years following the effective date
of the master contract in accordance with a schedule set forth in the master contract (but subject
to an extension of the original three- (3) year (3) period as set forth in Ssection 3(c) below), at
least one hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000) of total project costs, including
“hard” and allowable “soft” costs (the “Lincoln Park investment requirement”), in connection
with: (i) aAdditions, renovations and/or improvements to Lincoln Park and to appurtenant real or
personal property, including without limitation, improvements designed and constructed to
provide access to Lincoln Park; and (ii) pPerforming UTGR's obligations regarding investment
requirements under the master contract (“Lincoln Park investment requirement assets”). "Hard
costs” shall mean all costs that in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting
principles (“GAAP”) are appropriately chargeable to the capital accounts of UTGR or would be
so chargeable either with an election by UTGR or but for the election of UTGR to expense the
amount of the item, and “soft costs” shall mean all other costs appropriately chargeable to the
investment requirement which are not hard costs in accordance with GAAP. In determining
whether the investment requirement has been satisfied, soft costs in excess of ten million dollars
($10,000,000) shall be excluded. Provided further, that none of the expenditures in this subsection
shall qualify as eligible expenditures for purposes of any credit, including historic tax credits as
provided in chapter 44-33.2 of title 44 and enterprise zone credits as provided in chapter § 42-
64-3.
     (2) On or before the dates set forth in the master contract and in all events on that date
which is 90 days after the third anniversary of the effective date of the master contract (as such
original three- (3) year (3) period may have been extended as set forth in Ssection 3(c) below),
UTGR
shall submit to the division UTGR's certification, certified by a certified public accounting firm
acceptable to the division and using procedures approved by the division not inconsistent with
GAAP, providing its professional opinion, on behalf of itself and its applicable UTGR business
affiliates as to the aggregate amounts expended, allocated between “hard” and allowable “soft”
costs in respect of the investment requirement, so as to enable the division to measure UTGR's
investment requirement assets and to confirm UTGR's compliance with its obligation under
Ssection 3(b)(1) hereof. UTGR shall pay all costs of obtaining and preparing the professional
opinion obtained from the certified public accounting firm required by this subsection; and
     (c) The master contract shall also provide, without limitation, that the division shall be
entitled to, among other things, terminate the master contract if UTGR fails to fulfill the
aggregate investment requirement pursuant to Ssection 3(b)(1) hereof prior to that date which is
three (3) years from the effective date of the master contract, unless such failure is attributable to:
     (i) tThe failure to receive the necessary local approvals in connection with the
improvements, construction and other activities referenced in Ssection 3(b)(1), notwithstanding
the use of UTGR's commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such approval; (ii) dDelays
attendant to any litigation brought by any third-party contesting in any way the construction of
the improvements and having the effect of delaying the expenditure of the investment
requirement and which litigation is ultimately resolved in a manner allowing the expenditure of
the investment requirement to proceed; or (iii) tThe occurrence of one or more force majeure
events beyond the control of UTGR. The aforesaid, original three- (3) year (3) period shall be
extended by the number of days delay occurring as a result of any one or more of the events
described in clauses (i), (ii), or (iii) of the preceding sentence.
     (d) The master contract shall also provide that, following completion of the investment
requirement, UTGR shall maintain Lincoln Park in a manner substantially consistent with first
class racinos operated elsewhere in the United States pursuant to regulations adopted by the
division and approved by the permanent joint committee on state lottery.
     SECTION 3. Definitions. For purposes of this act, the following term shall have the
following meaning: "UTGR Master Contract" means that certain Master Video Lottery Terminal
Contract made as of July 18, 2005 by and between the Division, the State of Rhode Island
department of transportation, and UTGR, as amended from time to time.
     SECTION 4. Authorized Procurement of Fourth Amendment to the UTGR Master
Contract. Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary, the
Division is hereby expressly authorized and directed to enter into with UTGR a fourth
amendment to the UTGR Master Contract to make the UTGR Master Contract consistent with the
provisions of this act, as follows:
     (1) To remove the prohibition on the construction or operation of a hotel at or in close
proximity to Lincoln Park;
     (2) To permit the construction and operation of a hotel at or in close proximity to Lincoln
Park; and
     (3) To provide that construction of a hotel at or in close proximity to Lincoln Park shall
remain subject to all of the town of Lincoln's land use regulations and ordinances.
     SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC001954
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