Opinion

Opinion: Passamaquoddy Tribe loses again with gaming bid

Monday, November 14, 2011

"Voters also turned decisively against gambling with the other two referendum questions. There was a huge margin against a Lewiston casino that was a relatively late entry, but a combined plan for slot-machine "racinos" in Biddeford and Calais also failed decisively. Given the approval of an Oxford casino in 2010, the results are a bit of a surprise, but Gov. Paul LePage may have caught the public mood when he predicted there wasn't enough gambling business to support three new operations. A Lewiston casino would have been a significant threat to Oxford, which is expected to open next year.

New betting operations weren't particularly popular even in home towns. Lewiston offered only 56 percent support for its own casino, and while Biddeford was more favorable, the 60 percent margin there was lower than a previous municipal vote favoring relocation of the Scarborough Downs track. Only in Calais, 4-1 in favor, and surrounding Washington County, by 2-1, showed any real enthusiasm. One significant gambling expansion did pass muster in Bangor, site of the racino that brought big-time gambling to Maine. As in 2003, when the racino question snuck through while an Indian tribal casino was being shellacked, Bangor's racino effectively became a casino through a little-noticed bill, LD 1418, passed in June by the Legislature."

Get the Story:
Douglas Rooks: Maine must rationalize casino bids (The Portsmouth Herald 11/13)

Also Today:
Tribes Aren't Banking On Just Casinos Anymore (AP 11/13)