The dreams of gaming proponents, including several Indian tribes, expired in the Maine legislature last week, where opponents said they would support no proposal until the state adopts a gambling regulatory process.
Members of the House tried to revive six bills that had been defeated previously in the Senate, but the Senate did not vote again on those bills again, despite the nudging by the House.
Some legislators said they wanted more time to study how the addition of slot machines might affect the lives of the state’s 1 million population. Others said that a competitive bidding process is necessary before other casinos join the two that exist.
Senator Garrett Mason declared, “Is there a market to be expanded on gaming in Maine. If there is, how are we going to create the most jobs and get the most money for the general fund? These are questions that must be answered before we expand gaming any further in this state.”
However, leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, which has sought gaming for two decades, said the arguments have grown stale with repetition.
“It’s just a delay tactic,” declared the tribe’s chief, Joseph Socobasin with disgust. His tribe had supported a bill that would have allowed Washington County to build a casino. Another bill would have allowed the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to build in Aroostook County.
Another big loser was Scarborough Downs, which has lost 25 percent of its revenues since the Oxford Casino opened two years ago, and is fighting to be allowed to add slots to its business. Its president, Sharon Terry, recently said that the racetrack’s days are numbered if it’s not allowed to add the machines.
Other bills defeated including one that would have allowed organizations such as the American Legion and VFW to install slot machines and would have let the Penobscot Nation and Aroostook Band of Micmacs operate high stakes bingo.
Major factors behind the defeats were the Hollywood Casino in Bangor and the Oxford Casino, who claim that any new competition would harm them.
