Committee votes against delay for slot law’s Feb. 21 start date

AUGUSTA – Lawmakers charged with overseeing the introduction of slot machines to the state voted Tuesday not to delay the start date for the new law approved by voters in November.

The unanimous vote by the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee came despite advice from the state Attorney General’s Office that the committee buy itself time to craft new regulations for the industry.

“The safest thing you can do is to delay the operative date before any license is issued,” Linda Pistner, a deputy attorney general, warned committee members.

Pistner suggested the hiatus could help the state avoid potential lawsuits from those who might be eligible for a slots license under the existing law, set to take effect Feb. 21, but not under stricter regulations likely to be adopted by the committee.

Sen. Ken Gagnon, the committee’s Senate chairman, said members agreed that a successful lawsuit of that nature was improbable, as was the committee’s chances of pushing such a delay through the Legislature in just a few short weeks.

Tuesday marked the latest session on the controversial bill introduced by Gov. John Baldacci as a replacement for the law approved by voters in a November referendum that allowed slot machines at the state’s harness racing tracks.

The committee will hold another work session on the bill at 1 p.m. today.

Hearings on Baldacci’s bill, designed to tighten regulations governing the fledgling industry, have attracted overflow crowds to the upstairs committee room, which on Tuesday was packed with lawyers and lobbyists.

There, Baldacci’s chief counsel, Kurt Adams, asked that the committee move swiftly to adopt key aspects of the governor’s bill before Feb. 21. The new regulations include the formation of a Gambling Control Board and a repeal of a section in the original law that automatically issues a gaming license to those holding a harness racing license at the time the law takes effect.

“Time is of the essence,” Adams said, stressing the governor’s goal of honoring voters’ wishes by getting slots up and running in Bangor in a timely manner but under strict supervision.

Adams’ comments drew praise from an unlikely ally in Stephen Langsdorf, an Augusta attorney who represents Capital Seven LLC, the original developer of a racetrack casino in Bangor.

“It was nice to hear Kurt Adams saying that the governor wants to abide by the people’s wishes,” said Langsdorf, whose client has been critical of attempts by the governor, a gambling opponent, to drastically change the law approved by voters.

Capital Seven is in the process of selling Bangor Historic Track, the company that runs harness racing at Bangor Raceway, to Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming. The final approval of the sale is expected as early as next week, Langsdorf said.

The committee’s work comes as the Maine Harness Racing Commission prepares to meet on Capital Seven’s license application, which would be assumed by Penn National should the sale go through.

It was unclear as of Tuesday when the commission would next meet, with a tentative date set for Feb. 11.

After the work session, Gagnon said the racing commission should take its cue from his committee and ignore the intense lobbying to rush the process by issuing a permanent license to the Bangor track.