Opinion

Opinion: Racino a boost for Passamaquoddy Tribe economy

Monday, November 7, 2011

"In Washington County, the Passamaquoddy Tribe wants to build a racino in Calais. The tribe has sought a gaming operation for many years. Maine voters, despite approving gaming facilities in Bangor and Oxford, have rejected those requests. Basic fairness calls for an approval this year. The tribe wants the racino to be an economic spark and help lower the unemployment rate, which is approaching 70 percent on the reservation.

Not only will the racinos provide badly needed jobs in those two areas, they will generate revenue for the state’s General Fund, the agricultural fairs and scholarships for our universities and community colleges. Through supporting the harness racing industry, the racinos also will have a positive ripple effect on our agricultural resources.

It would have been an easy decision, and probably a popular one, for the editorial board at the Bangor Daily News to join the simmering turf war and editorialize against Question 2. Fortunately, the folks at the BDN, like the voters of Penobscot County, have a tradition of independent thinking."

Get the Story:
Richard Stone: Consider the big picture on casino gambling (The Bangor Daily News 11/5)

Also Today:
Passamaquoddies hope gambling bill passes this time (AP 11/7)
Five gaming facilities are not feasible, LePage says (The Portland Press Herald 11/4)