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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