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Opinion
Editorial: Reject expanded gaming in Maine


"It has become increasingly popular, at all ends of the state, to equate gambling with economic development. With Bangor city officials and their local newspaper licking their chops over Hollywood Slots reporting annual revenues of millions of dollars, it was just a matter of time before other proposals reared their ugly heads.

Last week, both houses of the 123rd Legislature voted to approve a Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe proposal to construct a harness racing track and racino in Washington County. In each chamber, the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the promised veto by Governor John Baldacci. Assuming the Governor does exercise his veto and it is not overridden, the citizen-initiated proposal must go before Maine voters in a statewide November referendum.

You can be sure there will be other similar casino and racino proposals coming down the pike. Whenever people see an opportunity to make easy money, they’re quick to jump on the bandwagon. The fact is that, in any casino or racino, it’s guaranteed that the house always — always — will be the primary winner. You can dress it up in glitz and glamor, make all sorts of side deals for a small slice of the profits, but there’s nothing honorable about an enterprise that exploits the weaknesses, rather than the strengths, of its patrons.

Proponents of casinos and racinos love to use lofty-sounding phrases such as “discretionary entertainment dollars” as they try to make their case. But Governor John Baldacci, much to his credit, doubts that additional gambling will bring economic prosperity to Maine. “There is no quick fix,” said the Governor last week, and he is absolutely right. He has pledged to veto such proposals, and we applaud his stand. If any or all of these big-time gambling ventures end up before the voters, we hope they, too, will have the good sense to respond with a resounding “no.”"

Get the Story:
Betting on Gambling (The Ellsworth American 4/19)