The initiative on the November ballot that would allow a casino in York County, Maine that only one man would be qualified to operate is expected to dominate the final weeks of the election leading up to the statewide vote.
So far controversial gaming developer Shawn Scott has spent $6 million to promote Question 1, which could put Scott in line to get a casino license that could be worth as much as $150 million to him if he chose to sell it. As he did in 2003 when he brought the first casino to Maine: which is now operated by Penn National Gaming as Hollywood Casino Resort & Raceway in Bangor. Scott sold the rights to Penn for $51 million after promoting a successful initiative.
The official proponent for Question 1 is the PAC Progress for Maine, which several months ago hired the Washington D.C. lobbying firm Goddard Gunster, which last year successfully piloted the Brexit campaign in Great Britain. Campaign expenditure records show that the campaign has so far been billed for $629,000 by Gunster, and could probably spent $1.3 by the end of the election.
The Forecaster reported that Gunster has a 90 percent success rate for the imitative campaigns it has run.
The Question 1 campaign has also hired the services of former Maine Attorney General Andrew Ketterer.
Progress for Maine is promoting the requirement that some percentage of the casino profits would go to fund state services, such as education.
