Henry John Bear, a Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians non-voting representative to the Maine House of Representatives, proposed a bill that would allow his tribe to establish and operate a casino in Aroostook County. Rep. Bear also asked the Legislature for a countywide vote for the project.
Under his proposal, the Houlton Band would launch a casino on tribal land and it is to feature as many as 350 slot machines.
Rep. Bear cited a recent study on the state’s gambling industry and pointed out that another casino might be a good thing for Maine. He also said that it would attract players from neighboring states and even from other countries.
It seems that Rep. Bear’s proposal has many proponents among Republicans and Democrats.
Currently, there are two operating casinos on the territory of Maine – Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino. They contributed over $52 million to the state in 2014. Yet, according to the Maine Gambling Control Board, revenue decreased $25 million compared to the figures posted a year ago.
Hollywood Casino returned a total of $413 million in winnings to its players. The venue paid about $22 million to the state and kept the amount of $24.6 million in the previous fiscal year. As for Oxford Casino, it returned to players about $605 million, paid the state $29 million, and retained approximately $29 million.
If Rep. Bear’s proposal gets Legislature’s nod, the new casino would be required to distribute 16% of its table game revenue and 35% of its slot machine revenue to more than a dozen of towns in both Aroostook and Washington Counties. Money will also be contributed to the state’s tribes as well as to a scholarship fund.
According to the above-mentioned study, a casino that would feature 250 slot machines could annually generate more than $200 million in gross profits. Of those, $18 million would be distributed to local communities and tribes.
Rep. Bear’s bill is the first one to propose an expansion of Maine’s gambling industry for this legislative session. And even though the proposal seems to have many proponents, it is also likely to meet some opposition. Last year, a total of six similar bills were rejected by the Legislature.
Gov. Paul LePage said that the potential expansion of the state’s gambling industry might not be as beneficial to local economy as suggested. He also pointed out that residents of Maine should determine as to whether a new casino should be opened.
Rep. Bear’s bill will be heard by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee in the weeks to come.
