A plan outlining how and where gambling facilities may locate in the state will be before Maine legislators this session thanks to a local representative.
State Rep. Linda Valentino, D-Saco, has submitted LD 227, a bill that would set up four districts in the state, allowing one casino in each district. The proposed legislation would also require a competitive bidding process for any developer interested in building a casino, and there would have to be at least two proposals for the state to consider moving forward.
Casinos would also have to be at least 75 miles apart, according to Valentino.
Voters have been bombarded with gambling proposals at the polls, starting with the Oxford casino last November, which was approved, and three proposals that failed at the polls last month to site racinos in Biddeford and Washington County and a casino in Lewiston.
So a plan for state’s gambling future seems like the proper way to proceed.
Although research has been done by Clyde Barrow, director of the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, which runs the New England Gaming Research Project, a study specific to the impacts in Maine needs to be commissioned by the state.
Moving forward, a study on the possible effects and future of gambling in the state and region should be completed and considered when crafting new regulations for gambling here in Maine.
While Valentino is putting us on the right track, more information and consideration is necessary due to the magnitude of this issue and implications of other New England states’ expansion of gambling as well.
Just weeks ago, Massachusetts lawmakers approved a bill legalizing casinos in the state. And despite New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch’s promise to veto any bill legalizing casinos, the state’s Republican-led Legislature is pushing the issue, and some supporters have vowed to press on.
A proliferation of casinos in close proximity to Maine ”“ including those already here ”“ would undoubtedly have an impact on the future success of gambling facilities in the state. It is important to have a well-laid plan to prevent oversaturation of the market and failed ventures in the future.
While the gambling industry is a lucrative business, it is reasonable to believe the strongest will survive. And in the case of casinos, that means the biggest and the best that will draw the most visitors, while others may not meet expectations to boost our flailing economy.
A gambling law in Maine, said Valentino, would also stop the constant stream of citizen’s initiatives on individual proposals, as an avenue for opening such a facility would be in place. This would keep voters in York County from deciding whether a casino may be opened in Washington County and vice versa.
As this proposal makes its way through the Statehouse chambers, we hope legislators will give it serious consideration and use the bill as a starting point for a comprehensive plan for the future of gambling in Maine.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
