ROCKLAND – Casinos NO! says the deck is stacked in favor of the Maine tribes who want to build a $650 million casino in southern Maine; while Think About It Maine calls the bid a win-win situation.

But when voters go to the polls Nov. 4 to vote on the referendum question that would allow a casino to be run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation, they should study their cards well, said Erin Lehane, a proponent for Think About It Maine.

“Vote for yourself in November,” Lehane said during a debate over whether Maine people should allow the tribes to build a resort casino in Sanford.

“Win or lose,” she said that she hopes people will see that the casino will bring jobs, revenue and opportunity to the state.

“Vote educated in November,” she said.

At a public forum Monday, sponsored by the Rockland-Thomaston Area and Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville chambers of commerce, residents were dealt a wealth of information on the rewards and drawbacks of having a casino locate in Maine.

Throughout the debate, Lehane urged the 120 people who attended the forum to study the issues, research the facts and decide for themselves whether a casino is right for Maine.

“The way life is supposed to be is not unemployment, uninsured and unable to pay property taxes,” Lehane said. “I hope you see the opportunity.”

On the opposing side, David Flanagan, a former Maine gubernatorial candidate and former Central Maine Power chief executive officer, represented Casinos No! at the debate.

The enticement of 4,700 new jobs in Maine and $100 million in gaming taxes is appealing, Flanagan said, but what comes with it is not what Maine is all about.

Maine has an image of being a family vacationland “that’s clean and green,” he said.

The development of a casino in southern Maine would bring more costs to taxpayers than the casino would generate in revenues, he said, asking voters to consider the added costs for increased infrastructure, such as roads, police, courts, jails, housing and welfare rolls.

During the 90-minute debate, the speakers answered questions prepared beforehand by attendants and they made opening and closing statements.

Two issues surrounding the tribal casino, which Flanagan raised more than once, were in the terms of the contract for operating the resort.

In referring to it as a strange law, Flanagan said the people of Maine will get to vote on the casino issue one time only in the next 20 years. If the casino is approved by voters and concerns arise in the future, the laws surrounding the casino cannot be changed by voters without the approval of both tribal councils, he said.

“One man, one vote, one time,” Flanagan said. “Then, it’s frozen for 20 years.”

Although there are no guarantees, Lehane said tribal officials have pledged to hire Maine people and buy services and products from Maine businesses.

On the question of increased crime and other social ills stemming from gambling operations, Lehane said that crime is not caused by an economic center; it is caused by a lack of opportunity.

The casino will bring opportunity and training for many people in Maine who are now out of work. They will have a chance for jobs in gaming, marketing, accounting and security, she said. In other states, the casinos have helped put people back to work through welfare-to-work programs, she noted.

In describing the proposed casino, Lehane said that the gaming portion comprises 12 percent of the operation. The remaining 88 percent includes a conference center, theater, restaurants, shops and interior gardens.

“It’s entertainment,” she said, describing the casino as a tourism draw. “It’s recreation.”

“Isn’t that wonderful,” Flanagan said, noting that only the slot machine revenues would be taxable. “Think about it – all tax-free.”