Editorial: Passamaquoddy Tribe deserves gaming

Monday, October 22, 2007  

"Now, the Passamaquoddy tribe has brought to the ballot box a proposal for a harness racing park and slot-machine parlor in Washington County.

We want to be clear: This newspaper has never editorialized in favor of gaming because it is not true economic development. Rather, it's a means of redistributing dollars within the market. Nearly all casinos draw the vast majority of their customers locally.

And our concerns about the high social costs associated with gambling parlors have not abated.

But we are making an exception to our staunch anti-gaming position -- we have also consistently advocated for getting rid of the state lottery -- when it comes to Question 1 on this year's ballot. The 2003 vote has created an inequity. It's unfair to deny the tribe this business when others in the state have been allowed to get into it."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Equity argues for a 'yes' vote on Question 1 (The Bangor Daily News 10/21)