Maine tribes await outcome of casino referendum

Tuesday, October 14, 2008  

Maine tribes are wondering if state voters will ever support their plans for gaming.

The Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe have asked voters and lawmakers to authorize a casino for their impoverished communities. But they have been met with opposition every step of the way while non-Indian facilities have been approved.

"It really seems like there's really two Maines,"r Donald Soctomah, who represents the Passamaquoddy Tribe in the state Legislature, told WMEA-FM. "One's Indian Maine and the other's a non-Indian Maine."

Soctomah is voting against the referendum for a casino in Oxford County because it bars new casinos for the next 10 years. But Fred Moore, a Penobscot council member, is voting for it.

"i don't believe we should be opposing something which we ourselves would want to engage in," Moore said.

Get the Story:
Tribes Keep Close Watch on Casino Campaign (Maine Public Broadcasting Network 10/14)