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Ajax and Johnston Filed Lawsuit Against Proposed Rhode Island Casino

A lawsuit, filed by Ajax Gaming Venture LLC and Johnston's town government, alleges the proposed casino amendment violates a provision in the U.S. Constitution requiring state governments to give all people equal protection under the law.

Blocked from building a casino in Rhode Island, a lawsuit has been filed Friday, trying to stop a vote that could award exclusive casino rights to a business rival. Barring legal challenges, Rhode Islanders will vote in Novembers on a constitutional amendment allowing the Narragansett Indian Tribe and its partner, Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment, to build a casino in West Warwick.

Ajax is asking a U.S. District Court judge to bar Secretary of State Matt Brown from putting the casino question on the ballot. A spokesman for Brown's office said it must finalize the ballot language by August 9.

In a civil complaint, a lawyer for Ajax and Johnston calls the proposed amendment "plainly unconstitutional" because it awards a valuable right to a single community, West Warwick, a single racial group, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and a single company, Harrah's, to the exclusion of all others.

Johnston lawmakers submitted a constitutional amendment that would have forced interested firms and communities to compete for a state license to operate a casino. Members of the House Finance Committee effectively killed the proposal by tabling it.