ATM-free racino aim of senator

AUGUSTA – State Sen. Ethan Strimling thinks slot machines are the “crack cocaine” of the casino world, preying on a small minority of patrons who are incapable of exercising fiscal restraint.

As Bangor prepares to become the first city in Maine to permit slot machine operations as part of its “racino” facility at Bass Park, Strimling wants to make sure no automated teller machines are on the premises to entice players into spending more than they can afford during an evening’s entertainment.

“Allowing gamblers to use ATMs, credit and debit cards directly for gambling removes one of the last remaining checks on compulsive gambling – the need to walk away to find more cash to gamble,” said the Portland Democrat.

During a public hearing Monday before the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, Strimling’s LD 227 attracted no supporters and more than a few critics. Dimming the legislation’s prospects for an affirmative recommendation is the opposition of the Maine Gambling Control Board, the state Department of Public Safety and at least one key committee member, Rep. Pat Blanchette, D-Bangor.

The bill initially stipulated that an ATM had to be placed at least 500 feet from a slot machine business, but the lawmaker amended his own bill Monday simply to keep the cash devices off the racino premises.

Strimling argued that providing immediate electronic cash transfers not only exacerbates compulsive behavior, it also makes it extremely easy for problem bettors to wage all their available assets before maxing out their credit cards. Observing that while compulsive gamblers represent less than 10 percent of a casino’s patrons, Strimling emphasized that the group accounts for more than 50 percent of all casino revenues.

“The reason for this bill is simple: to discourage compulsive gambling and prevent the kinds of social and economic problems that have occurred in other states as the result of legal slot machines,” he said.

Robert Welch, the executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Board, said an ATM’s proximity to the gambling area of the racino was one of the first pieces of business undertaken by the board. Relying on criteria used by other states, Welch said the board requires an ATM to be located at least 25 feet from the nearest slot machine.

A former deputy chief with the Bangor Police Department, Welch said Strimling’s bill was opposed by law enforcement officials who believe forcing patrons to go off-site to obtain more cash only increases the likelihood of crime.

“If there are people intent on robbing patrons, what better place to be than away from the bright lights and racino security personnel?” he asked.

Although the Maine Association of Banks has not taken a position on racinos or slot machines, the bankers worried that Strimling’s bill could affect services in the future should a gaming company open up within 500 feet of an existing bank. Christopher Pinkham, president of the bankers’ association, said the Legislature has long opposed bills restricting state-chartered banks from offering the same services as out-of-state and national competitors.

Calling Strimling’s bill a solution to “a problem that doesn’t exist,” Blanchette told the southern Maine senator that ATMs are not restricted at off-track betting facilities and other harness racing tracks and shouldn’t be at the new racino.

“I have lived through eight months of testimony from yourself and Casinos No! and everybody involved in the anti-gambling effort,” Blanchette said. “Is this another tactic to try and throw Bangor off-track? What’s the purpose of it? I really think that with the 2,000 bills we’ve got in front of us, senator, we would spend our time on something a little more productive …”

Blanchette was cut off in midsentence by the committee’s Senate chairman, Ken Gagnon, D-Waterville, who has scheduled a work session on LD 227 for Feb. 23.