Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Maine Legislature is now considering a citizen-initiated bill for a
major expansion of gambling in Maine. LD 805 will double the number of slot
machines in the state, allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe for the first time to
conduct high-stakes beano off their reservation, and expand off-track
betting. Instead of rejecting the bill and sending it to the voters - as
they do with most citizen-initiated bills - legislators are being pressured
to simply pass the measure outright, even over the governor's threatened
veto. This would be a big mistake and set a dangerous precedent for the
Legislature and for Maine. The proponents of the Washington County racetrack
casino collected 50,000 signatures to get the question on a referendum
ballot, and that's where it belongs. Every major proposal to expand casino
gambling in Maine has always gone to the voters. LD 805 should be no
different. If the Legislature simply passes the citizen-initiated bill, what
will its response be when it is presented with 50,000 signatures from
another group - a social club or Scarborough Downs? How could the
Legislature turn down one group but not another? That's why the question of
whether Maine should have another racetrack casino should go to the voters.
Proponents have argued that voters already approved two racetrack casinos
when they adopted a measure in 2003 that paved the way for Hollywood Slots
in Bangor. Not true. The 2003 vote was very specific. It allowed for slot
machines at Maine's two existing harness racing tracks as long as the local
communities gave the OK. Bangor said yes, Scarborough said no. End of story.
Nowhere in the 2003 measure did it suggest that a brand new racetrack casino
could be built somewhere else in Maine where gambling has never taken place,
along with 1,500 slot machines, off-track betting and high-stakes beano. LD
805 is an entirely new proposal and requires a new vote. Proponents have
also argued that the decision on a racetrack casino should be left up to the
voters of Washington County, and the rest of Maine should just butt out.
This is disingenuous and even hypocritical. I don't recall them making this
argument in 2000 when there was a statewide referendum to put slot machines
at Scarborough Downs. Did anyone suggest that decision should be left
entirely to voters in Cumberland County? In fact, Washington County voted
with the majority of Maine voters in rejecting that measure. Three years
later, Washington County voters again rejected slot machines at the proposed
Sanford casino. So having voted twice to prohibit slot machines in southern
Maine, some Washington County residents and elected leaders are now saying
they want slot machines for their community and southern Maine shouldn't
have a say. Maybe they should have thought of that before they circulated a
petition for a statewide referendum. Of course, there are plenty of other
reasons for rejecting this latest proposal for a racetrack casino. Slot
machines fleece people. They are inherently fraudulent. At no time will the
casino patrons walk away with more money in their pockets than what the
casino owners will rake in. That's the very definition of a rigged game. If
the FDA regulated slot machines like they do diet pills and baldness cures,
slot machines would be permanently outlawed. You've heard the expression,
"The house always wins." That's exactly right. The casino operators always
win. Imagine if every time the Red Sox played the Yankees we knew ahead of
time that the Yankees were going to win, and they always did. Fans would be
outraged. Elected officials would call for Congressional investigations into
how the games were fixed. But for some reason, many Maine legislators are
willing to ignore this when it comes to casinos and will eagerly grant a
license to allow big corporations and special interests to fleece people.
And Washington County - which continues to suffer from high unemployment,
poverty and addiction - is the worst place for a casino. A casino won't
solve these problems; it will only make them worse.