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By Scott Mayerowitz, The Providence Journal, R.I.
Nov. 1--PROVIDENCE -- Harrah's Entertainment is spending nearly $140,000 a day trying to convince voters to amend the state Constitution for its proposed West Warwick casino.
In the first three weeks of October, the Las Vegas-based company spent $3.3 million, bringing its total spending in the campaign so far to $11.7 million, according to a filing yesterday with the state Board of Elections.
Anti-casino group Save Our State spent $1.4 million in the same period, bringing its total spending to $2.8 million.
Harrah's has accelerated its spending recently as polls have shown voters leaning away from the casino question. With less than a week to go before the election, it seems that almost everywhere one turns Harrah's has an ad. There are billboards, mailings, newspaper and television.
Save Our State, which started its campaign much later than Harrah's, has also picked its spending recently, focusing on television ads. Most of the group's money continues to come from the state's two existing slot halls: Lincoln Park and Newport Grand. Lincoln Park has contributed $1.6 million to the campaign to date and Newport Grand has donated $976,000.
Save Our State did have some other donations, including $50,000 from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and $10,000 from Malcolm G. Chace III, chairman and cofounder of Bancorp Rhode Island and a board member of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.
While $140,000 a day might seem like a lot of money for Harrah's to be spending, consider this: Harrah's expects the casino would take in $1.5 million a day within its third year of operation.
"The campaign was forced to allocate additional funds to set the record straight and get our message across to Rhode Island voters," said Clare Eckert, spokeswoman for the local casino drive. Eckert said Harrah's campaign has already pumped millions of dollars into the state's economy.
Save Our State spokeswoman Patti Doyle said her campaign doesn't have at its disposal the same amount of money as Harrah's.
"But nonetheless we're hopeful that our messages -- because they're so credible and believable -- are resonating with the people of Rhode Island," Doyle said.
The bulk of the money -- $1.7 million -- was spent on television advertising. Harrah's also spent another $407,000 in print advertising in newspapers including The Providence Journal and The Providence Phoenix and $82,000 on billboards and other ads.
Harrah's also made several contributions to local community groups and charities, including $2,000 to a Guatemalan-American association in Providence, $5,000 to the NAACP, $1,350 to the Urban League of Rhode Island, $555 to the American Legion, $500 to Make-A-Wish Foundation, $500 to Oasis International and $2,500 to Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, a group that provides job and housing assistance to veterans.
Several of those groups have endorsed the casino.
Harrah's also spent $10,000 to sponsor a WaterFire Providence and $18,000 on polling.
The rest of its money was spent on payroll, meals, liquor, hotel rooms and flights.
The bulk of Save Our State's spending went for advertising. Providence public relations company RDW Group was paid $844,000 in the three-week period, most of which was then used by RDW to buy ads. The campaign also spent $380,000 on direct mail, $95,000 on trying to identify casino opponents and get them to vote, and $15,000 on polling.
Yesterday's reports cover spending from Oct. 1 through Oct. 24. The next financial disclosure filings are not due until after the election.
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