Voters should have final say on more gambling casinos

The Maine Legislature is now considering a citizen-initiated bill for a major expansion of gambling in Maine. LD 805 will double the number of slot machines in the state, allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe for the first time to conduct high-stakes beano off their reservation, and expand off-track betting.

Instead of rejecting the bill and sending it to the voters – as they do with most citizen-initiated bills – legislators are being pressured to simply pass the measure outright, even over the governor’s threatened veto. This would be a big mistake and set a dangerous precedent for the Legislature and for Maine.

The proponents of the Washington County racetrack casino collected 50,000 signatures to get the question on a referendum ballot, and that’s where it belongs. Every major proposal to expand casino gambling in Maine has always gone to the voters. LD 805 should be no different.

If the Legislature simply passes the citizen-initiated bill, what will its response be when it is presented with 50,000 signatures from another group – a social club or Scarborough Downs? How could the Legislature turn down one group but not another?

That’s why the question of whether Maine should have another racetrack casino should go to the voters.

Proponents have argued that voters already approved two racetrack casinos when they adopted a measure in 2003 that paved the way for Hollywood Slots in Bangor. Not true. The 2003 vote was very specific. It allowed for slot machines at Maine’s two existing harness racing tracks as long as the local communities gave the OK. Bangor said yes, Scarborough said no. End of story. Nowhere in the 2003 measure did it suggest that a brand new racetrack casino could be built somewhere else in Maine where gambling has never taken place, along with 1,500 slot machines, off-track betting and high-stakes beano. LD 805 is an entirely new proposal and requires a new vote.

Proponents have also argued that the decision on a racetrack casino should be left up to the voters of Washington County, and the rest of Maine should just butt out. This is disingenuous and even hypocritical. I don’t recall them making this argument in 2000 when there was a statewide referendum to put slot machines at Scarborough Downs. Did anyone suggest that decision should be left entirely to voters in Cumberland County? In fact, Washington County voted with the majority of Maine voters in rejecting that measure.

Three years later, Washington County voters again rejected slot machines at the proposed Sanford casino. So having voted twice to prohibit slot machines in southern Maine, some Washington County residents and elected leaders are now saying they want slot machines for their community and southern Maine shouldn’t have a say. Maybe they should have thought of that before they circulated a petition for a statewide referendum.

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons for rejecting this latest proposal for a racetrack casino. Slot machines fleece people. They are inherently fraudulent. At no time will the casino patrons walk away with more money in their pockets than what the casino owners will rake in. That’s the very definition of a rigged game. If the FDA regulated slot machines like they do diet pills and baldness cures, slot machines would be permanently outlawed.

You’ve heard the expression, “The house always wins.” That’s exactly right. The casino operators always win. Imagine if every time the Red Sox played the Yankees we knew ahead of time that the Yankees were going to win, and they always did. Fans would be outraged. Elected officials would call for Congressional investigations into how the games were fixed.

But for some reason, many Maine legislators are willing to ignore this when it comes to casinos and will eagerly grant a license to allow big corporations and special interests to fleece people. And Washington County – which continues to suffer from high unemployment, poverty and addiction – is the worst place for a casino. A casino won’t solve these problems; it will only make them worse.

The Maine Gambling Control Board – which was established by the Legislature and is more knowledgeable about gambling issues than the average Mainer – has recommended a moratorium on more slot machines until the full impact of Hollywood Slots has been studied. The Legislature would do well to heed their advice and vote NO on LD 805. Just as they’ve done on every gambling measure in the past, voters should have the final say on whether to expand casino gambling in Maine.

Phillip E. Harriman is a former state senator from Yarmouth and president of CasinosNO!, the advocacy group opposed to the expansion of casino gambling in Maine.