Developers plan big for tribal racino

The racino that the Passamaquoddy Tribe hopes to develop in Down East Maine would be more than simply a building to house slot machines alongside a commercial harness racetrack.

Planners envision “a destination-type facility” that would include a hotel, conference center, restaurants, gift shops and a high-stakes beano parlor. There’s even talk of developing a docking site in the region that could accommodate 1,500-passenger cruise ships, drawn in part by the gambling operation.

“It’s not the run-of-the-mill slot parlor,” said Fred Moore, the tribe’s former representative to the Legislature and a leader in the Washington County racino effort. He figures the cost will be “in excess of $100 million, probably closer to $150 million.”

The project, billed as an economic lifeline for Maine’s poorest county, cleared a hurdle last week when Maine election officials ruled that the tribe’s initiative petitions contained enough valid signatures to force a statewide referendum.

Unless the Legislature approves the bill and Gov. John Baldacci signs it, the issue most likely would be decided in November, in an off-year election with little else to draw voters to the polls.

Opposition is likely to come from the anti-gambling group Casinos No! which in 2003 led the successful campaign to quash a proposed $650 million casino project that the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes sought to build in southern Maine.

The Passamaquoddy also are promoting a plan for a liquefied natural gas terminal on their Pleasant Point reservation, but tribal sentiment on that project appears more divided than on the racino.

While no specific location for a tribal racino has been selected, Moore identified Calais, site of Maine’s busiest Canadian border checkpoint, as the undisputed front-runner. By law, the racino would have to be within 45 miles of either of its two reservations in the region and at least 100 miles from the Bangor Raceway, the nearest commercial track.

Dennis Bailey, spokesman for opponents, said he doubts whether a Washington County racino would become a reality, even if the tribe gets its bill approved.

No harness tracks are being built these days, he said, and it’s unlikely that the project could get the required financing.

Moore, however, indicated that financing would not be a problem. “We’re having ongoing discussions with a number of sources,” he said.

Stan Bergstein of Harness Tracks of America, an Arizona-based trade group, said new tracks are being built. He pointed to the recent groundbreaking for a track in Minneapolis and the opening of a major track outside Philadelphia.

Still, Bailey doubts that a racino in a rural county with a population of roughly 34,000 would ever get off the drawing board. He foresaw a scenario in which the tribe then might try to shift the project to a more populous area of southern Maine, such as York County, provoking an even bigger political fight.

Looking ahead to a possible campaign, both sides agree that scheduling the referendum this year, rather than in 2008 when voters will be drawn by the presidential race, offers neither side an advantage.

Political observers agree that off-year referendums, with their low turnouts, favor those who care passionately about an issue. But with opponents of gambling balanced against tribal members and development-minded residents of Washington County, Bailey sees the issue of timing as a wash.

Moore has no preference on when the vote takes place – except the sooner the better.

“I don’t think it matters whether it shows up in a big election year or in an off year,” he said. “I think it would prevail in either situation.”