Editorial: Vote yes on Passamaquoddy racino

Thursday, October 25, 2007  

"Do you want to allow a Maine tribe to run a harness racing track with slot machines and high-stakes beano games in Washington County?

The success of the slots facility in Bangor makes the question of expanding gambling one of equity. A yes vote on Question 1 would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe to build a gaming facility in Washington County. Expanding gambling to the state’s poorest county offers an opportunity to spur economic development in an area where it is sorely needed.

While the governor and gambling opponents are right that casinos are not, by themselves, a means of economic development, the activity at Hollywood Slots in Bangor shows that they can be an important catalyst."

In a county where unemployment is chronically well above the state average and aspirations are too low, this new economic activity is sorely needed.

Further, a portion of the slots revenue will support scholarships for local students and provide economic development money for local projects. Although beyond the scope of this question, the state should reconsider tying slot machines to race tracks and allocating a larger share of the revenue to horse racing and off-track betting than to scholarships and host communities.

As for a Down East racino, Rick Doyle, the governor of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, says, "this private sector opportunity can help Washington County where decades of government efforts have failed."

The tribe and the county deserve this opportunity."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Yes on Question 1 (The Bangor Daily News 10/25)

Another Opinion:
Jim Brunelle: Racino-slots referendum likely will pass, despite being a bad idea (The Kennebec Journal 10/25)