Twin River has expressed interest in moving the Newport Grand casino from Newport, R.I. to Tiverton, R.I. right across from the Massachusetts border.

This has caused concern among advocates for a New Bedford casino who see the move as a way to undermine the potential Canon Street site before its even built.

However, former City Solicitor George Leontire tells WBSM's Brian Thomas that even if such a plan is approved by Tiverton voters it still faces many hurdles.

"I think there's all kinds of permitting issues, environmental issues," says Leontire "even if they want to build I think it would be tied up for a long time"

Leontire also says that the Tiverton site is so small that it would be unable to compete with the type of destination resort casino proposed for New Bedford.

"If you're going to go for a night out to go to a casino and you can go to one that's really top notch, beautiful facility, or you can go sit in a square room, which is essentially what they're proposing, which casino are you going to visit?"

New Bedford casino developer KG Urban still faces a May 4 deadline to submit their final application.

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