The Maine House last week moved forward three bills that would make it easier for two Indian tribes to open casinos and for two other tribes to modernize their high stakes beano.

The Senate must now vote on the bills.

The tribes that would benefit from the legislation are the Houlton Band of Maliseets, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs.

The Passamaquoddy have been trying to build a casino in Washington County for more than 20 years.

During that period two commercial casinos opened, Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino. Both of those casinos oppose the casinos the Maliseets and Passamaquoddy tribes propose.

Rep. Madonna Soctomah, who represents the tribe in the House as a non-voting member, declared, “ This bill is not about gambling. It’s about jobs in our local area, about investment in the surrounding regions where we live, about stimulating commercial development that will sustain long-term economic growth.”

Rep. Henry John Bear, the Houlton’s non-voting member, added, “Gaming is part of our culture. What we’re asking for is a way to continue that into the modern era.” His tribe would like to build a casino with 750 slots.

A referendum in Aroostook County would be required for the Houlton casino, the Passamaquoddy would not need one since voters in that county have supported casinos several times in the past, although state voters have rejected an Indian casino by that tribe when it was presented to them on several occasions. The House bill would allow a casino with just a vote of the county.

The third bill the House passed was to allow the Penobscot Nation and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to use electronic beano games, replacing the paper and ink versions they offer currently.

Some opponents said that the difference between an electronic beano game and a slot machine is non-existent and the bill would have the effect of authorizing a casino without a referendum.

In a related development the House did not advance a bill that would have allowed Scarborough Downs to become a racino by installing slots, however it voted against killing the bill by a margin of 78–62. Representatives also tabled a bill that would create a licensing process to create a casino resort in southern Maine without a referendum.

Scarborough Downs is located in that part of the state, and is seen as the chief beneficiary of such a bill. It has long sought a bill that would make it competitive against the Oxford and Bangor casinos.

Both casinos oppose the bill, and supporters of the casinos have plenty of money as well as a track record of defeating proposals that might have diluted the Maine gaming market, which only has 1.3 million residents. They have led the opposition against several referendums that would have resulted more competition.

Because of that ability, the racetrack sought a bill that would allow them to build a casino without a referendum.