Each day this week, The Providence Journal will pose and answer questions about the proposed West Warwick casino. Readers are invited to submit questions at projo.com. We will select representative questions to answer in The Sunday Journal.

What are voters being asked to decide on Election Day?

Voters will chose whether they want to amend the state Constitution to allow Harrah’s Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian Tribe to build a casino in West Warwick.

What would the new constitutional language say?

“Notwithstanding sections 15 and 22 of this Article, and provided that a majority of the electors of the Town of West Warwick have voted to approve this amendment, the establishment of a resort casino and games located therein is authorized in the Town of West Warwick. The resort casino shall be privately owned and privately operated by a business entity established pursuant to Rhode Island law by the Narragansett Indian Tribe and its chosen partner, which entity shall be: (i) legally distinct and separate from the Narragansett Indian Tribe, (ii) subject to the laws of the state of Rhode Island, including regulation and taxation, and (iii) required in its organizing documents to expressly waive any sovereign immunity relating to any and all matters of the resort casino, including compliance with and enforcement of the laws of the state of Rhode Island, and the regulation and taxation thereof. The per annum tax rate shall be established by the General Assembly with all of such tax proceeds to be dedicated to property-tax relief, as prescribed by statute.”

Has the Constitution ever been amended before for gambling?

There have been 60 amendments since the Constitution was drafted, in 1842. One of those, in 1973, allowed for the creation of the state lottery. Another, in 1994, required voter approval for any new forms of gambling.

What does Harrah’s propose to build?

Harrah’s is proposing a $1-billion project: a 12-story hotel with 500 rooms and 140,000 square feet of gambling space with 3,500 slot machines, 50 poker tables and 100 other table games. It would sit on 86 acres of non-tribal land off Route 95 near Route 2, in the West Warwick Business Park.

How does that compare with the Connecticut casinos?

Foxwoods Resort Casino has three hotels with 1,416 rooms, 340,000 square feet of gambling space with 7,400 slot machines, 114 poker tables and 286 other table games. MGM Mirage and Foxwoods are expanding. Slated to open in spring 2008, it will add a 30-story hotel with 826 rooms, 50,000 square feet of additional gambling space with 1,500 slot machines and 45 table games. The casino sits on 200 acres outside Ledyard.

Mohegan Sun has a 34-story hotel with 1,200 rooms and 300,000 square feet of gambling space with 6,200 slot machines and 300 table games, although no poker. It sits on 240 acres in Uncasville.

What about Rhode Island’s gambling facilities?

Lincoln Park has 3,602 video slot machines and is expanding to accommodate more. Rhode Island lawmakers have authorized it to have up to 4,752 machines. It sits on 196 acres and is prohibited by law from building a hotel.

Newport Grand has 1,070 video slot machines and is authorized to have 2,101. It sits on 23 acres and is planning a hotel.