SEARCH NEWS:

 

Maine House Approves Racinos

MAINE – As reported by (Lewiston, Maine) Sun Journal: "The House Monday overwhelmingly voted for legislation that would oversee the operation of racinos in Maine, including a 1,500-slot limit and a smaller share of the winnings to the owners of the track.

"The bill now heads to the Senate, where it could be debated Tuesday.

"Missing from the legislation is any hope for Scarborough Downs to open a racino in the southern part of the state. The bill will give the Scarborough racetrack an estimated $3.2 million a year by 2007, which is more than it will give for college scholarships.

"…Rep. Donna Loring, who represents the Penobscot Nation, said the racino would not have happened without the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes bringing up their casino referendum, which was rejected last November 2-to-1. There was strong campaigning against the Indian proposal, but virtually none against the racino referendum.

"With the racino law and Baldacci's proposal to join the Powerball lottery, gambling is being expanded at the expense of the tribes, she said. 'The irony is we were brave enough to bring this controversial issue forward, and in the end we got nothing.'…"

< Gaming News