Panel kills bill to require racino parking lot checks

AUGUSTA – A bill that would have required Penn National Gaming Inc. to do hourly parking lot checks for unattended children outside its proposed gaming facility in Bangor got an “ought not to pass” designation Wednesday from a legislative committee.

The Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee’s vote to that end effectively killed the bill, according to Sen. Kenneth Gagnon, committee co-chairman.

“It was unanimous,” Gagnon said in a telephone interview after the vote.

Penn National is slated to open a facility featuring 1,500 slot machines near Bangor Raceway.

Meanwhile, however, the company plans to set up an interim facility with the first 475 machines at Miller’s Restaurant, one of a handful of eligible commercial properties within the 2,000-foot radius from the racetrack allowed by state law.

The company hopes to start renovations at Miller’s in May or June. Barring any snags with the licensing process, Penn plans to have its temporary facility running by November or December.

LD 1117, “An Act to Protect Children Left Unattended at Gambling Establishments,” was sponsored by Rep. Darlene Curley, R-Scarborough.

The bill would have required Penn National to do hourly parking lot sweeps to ensure that no child under 16 is left unattended in any vehicle parked at its gaming facility.

But as Penn National spokesman Eric Schippers saw it, the issue was one of parental responsibility.

“Clearly the first and foremost responsibility for avoiding the potential problem of leaving children unattended in vehicles rests with parents,” he said Tuesday.

He added, “If there is a genuine concern regarding children potentially abandoned in parking areas, why wouldn’t this proposed legislation also apply to retail outlets, grocery stores, multiplex movie theaters, sports arenas, performing arts centers, large restaurants and similar venues?”

That was the approach the state of Connecticut – home of Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun – took in 1997, when lawmakers passed legislation aimed at the problem of children left unsupervised in public places and motor vehicles.

The law and increased public awareness have been credited with reducing the problem.

“It doesn’t happen very often. I would call it a very rare occurrence,” Foxwoods spokesman Arthur Henick said in a telephone interview Wednesday, though he could not immediately provide statistics.

“This is what we do,” he said. “Foxwoods has regular patrols of all our parking areas to ensure the safety of people and property. Any criminal violations are reported to the Connecticut State Police, who, under an agreement [among] the tribe, the state and the federal government, has jurisdiction over the [gambling establishments].

Foxwoods does not offer child care services.

“We see ourselves as an adult attraction,” Henick said. “We enforce age minimums,” which in Connecticut is 21 for both gaming and drinking.

Mohegan Sun, however, does provide baby-sitting services at its Kids Quest, which includes an activity center for children 6 weeks to 12 years old and a nonviolent video arcade, according to the company’s Web site.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.