Maine Chamber of Commerce airs opposition to $650M casino

WELLS – The Maine Chamber of Commerce on Thursday came out against the proposed $650 million casino, saying it wouldn’t strengthen the economy or keep young people from leaving the state for good jobs.

President Dana Connors led a news conference attended by several York County business leaders as the Maine Chamber of Commerce released a four-page position paper opposing the casino.

Connors said the group opposes a casino because it won’t deliver on its promises of jobs and state revenue, it can’t be changed for 20 years, and it would alter the state’s character.

In short, he said, it’s bad business.

“The quality and character of life in Maine will be irrevocably changed,” Connors said after the news conference.

Connors said that for the state to receive $100 million, casino patrons would have to lose $400 million at the slots. Even then, there’s no guarantee the money will be directed toward property tax relief or education, he said.

The chamber also questioned how many jobs would be created. Proponents say the casino would create 10,000 jobs but only 4,470 would be created by the casino itself. Others would be temporary or spinoff jobs, Connors said.

Furthermore, the Chamber quoted from a 1999 survey of visitors to the Foxwoods Casino Resort by the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis, which found that few casino patrons ventured forth to see other area attractions.

If that held true in Maine, then other tourism businesses would see little trickle-down impact from the casino, Connors said.

“If this were a typical business, we would be at the head of the list of supporters, but this isn’t. It’s one that brings high cost and ramifications to the state, one that sets the state in a new direction,” he said.

Erin Lehane, spokeswoman for the pro-casino group Think About It, responded, “I’m surprised that a group that’s supposed to represent business interests is fighting business.”

The chamber’s announcement was the latest by a business group opposed to a casino to be operated by the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians.