AG memo rankles gambling regulators Board members advised not to accept Hollywood Slots VIP invitation

AUGUSTA – There are not a lot of perks that go along with being a member of Maine’s Gambling Control Board or the Maine Harness Racing Commission, so the chance to rub shoulders with Marilyn Monroe or James Dean didn’t sound bad to Michael Peters – even if the celebrities were impersonators.

But before the Dixfield businessman could send an RSVP off to Penn National Gaming Inc. to accept an invitation to Wednesday’s VIP night at Hollywood Slots in Bangor, he and other board and commission members received an e-mail from the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

There was a Hollywood tinge to the messages sent to the gambling regulators from the state Attorney General’s Office – but the tone sounded more like Don Corleone than Don Knotts.

For Peters and others, the underlying meaning of the e-mail was unmistakable: Don’t go.

“As you are aware, as commission members and regulators, it is imperative that you in fact are unbiased on any potential issue that may come before the commission,” Assistant Attorney General Jack Richards wrote. “It is also equally important that you do not involve yourself in a situation that may demonstrate an appearance of bias or impropriety.”

The five-member gambling control board oversees slot machines in Maine, while the five-member harness racing commission has jurisdiction over pari-mutuel and off-track betting.

Richards prefaced his warning to the regulators by writing, “I know that you will conduct yourselves appropriately but,” and he closed by advising the officials not to accept anything of value from anyone at the event including alcohol, food or other complimentary items. In case anyone was confused on the point, Richards also told the commissioners not to engage in any gambling activities.

Peters, who sits on the Maine Gambling Control Board, said the attorney general’s e-mail was demeaning and implied that any of the regulators could be in Penn National’s pocket for the price of a cup of coffee and a finger sandwich. As a result, representatives of either panel were hard to find Wednesday night during the Hollywood Slots event. Peters said the attorney general’s warning would have left any of them with little more to do than “stand in a corner” by themselves.

“We’ve never asked for much [as board members], and we’ve never been given much, but this was almost like a slap in the face,” Peters said. “They’re afraid someone’s going to sue us because we had a cup of coffee and are therefore going to rule in [Penn National’s] favor? An ‘appearance of impropriety’? That could be anything.”

Richards said his e-mail message to the commission members was intended only as a precaution.

“I simply wanted them to be aware of things that could occur,” he said.

George McHale, who sits on both panels, also decided to be a no-show Wednesday night at Hollywood Slots. Although he understood the concerns of the Attorney General’s Office, McHale joined most panelists in concluding they had little to gain from attending the event and – using the attorney general’s reasoning – potentially had something to lose should their activities be misconstrued.

“I think the attorney general’s message probably amounted to overkill,” McHale said. “I think that what will probably happen is that we will probably have some conversations with the Attorney General’s Office and find out what went on. I’m not really angry. And I plan to go to the [Hollywood Slots] grand opening, which is a public event.”