Where the world's best jai alai players once thrilled fans and bettors with their fast-paced sport, may become a five-story

86-room hotel with extra space for dining and video gambling, according to the casino's owner.

Newport Grand is proposing to spend $20 million over the next three years on improvements to the casino, with most of the work focused on modifying the fronton, which shut down in 2003.  

"What we've been doing since 1992 is meeting demand by building very nice spaces that are nicely appointed," said general manager and part owner Diane S. Hurley, referring to the year video gambling made its debut. "This project will drive demand by introducing completely new amenities to the property. We think that's what we need to do." 에볼루션 바카라사이트

Hurley unveiled her plans for Newport Grand at a Senate hearing yesterday during which she asked for exactly what Lincoln Park's prospective buyer is seeking: a tax freeze for the next 18 years.

"The most important factor is tax stabilization," said Hurley. "We are not looking for tax breaks or credits."

Tax stability, said Hurley, would help finance the project, which she projects would double the number of jobs to 400 and allow for the addition of another 800 video machines.

The size and the footprint of the building would not change, she said, because the new hotel and dining facilities would be carved out of the 40,000-square-foot, seven-story space that houses the vacant jai alai court and 3,000-seat auditorium.

Initially, plans called for transforming the space into a performance venue able to compete with the live entertainment at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. But a consultant hired to conduct a feasibility study determined that Newport Grand would be able to put on just a dozen events a year.

The study also determined that the fronton was too small for trade shows and lacked sufficient amenities for conventions, Hurley said.

"None of these seemed like particularly good answers to what we should do with it," said Hurley.

But a west-facing hotel, with a lofty atrium and rooms offering views of Narragansett Bay and the Claiborne Pell Bridge, made sense, said Hurley.So did using 30,000 square feet of space for more gambling and food and beverage purveyors. All but the stadium's upper-level seating, which is supported by columns, would be used, Hurley said.

Hurley emphasized that the improvements would help support Newport's tourism industry, not compete against it. A "rewards" program would provide incentives to visit local attractions and a concierge service would provide transportation.

The need for a larger work force at the casino would also create demand for training at the nearby Community College of Rhode Island campus, now under construction.

The same year Newport Grand shut down the fronton -- citing the sport's waning popularity and profitability -- the casino won approval for another 525 video machines.

Today, said Hurley, there are 1,020 machines. Another 50 will be added by July 1. That leaves Newport Grand with permission to add another 230 machines. Hurley envisions seeking approval to install 800 more machines by 2011. The hotel, she said, would open in 2009.

The improvements, said Hurley, would help Rhode Island snare money that might otherwise go to the casinos in Connecticut, and serve as an "offensive" move against video gambling proposals in Massachusetts.

For every $1 spent on video-machine revenues at Newport Grand, 63.5 cents goes to the state, 26 cents is kept by the casino, 9.5 percent goes to the machine vendors and 1 percent goes to the City of Newport.

Newport Grand projects that, with the changes, its operation would earn the state $877 million in gambling tax from 2006 to 2015.