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Once the camel
gets his nose under the tent, it’s just a matter
of time before the rest of him is inside. When
it comes to big-time gambling in Maine, the
camel’s nose is the so-called racino, approved
in a statewide referendum vote less than two
years ago, that will bring 1,500 slot machines
to the Bangor Raceway. That facility is not yet
open, and the camel already is pushing its way
further into the tent. Last week, the
Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs
Committee, by a 10-1 vote, lent its support to
legislation (LD 1573) that will allow the
Passamaquoddy Tribe to operate a similar
facility in conjunction with a harness racing
track that would be located within 45 miles of
the tribe’s reservations in Washington
County.
For Native
American tribes across the nation, gambling has
come to be regarded as the avenue — seemingly
the only avenue — to economic prosperity. Never
mind that the revenues involved are not earned
by producing a product or service that benefits
everyone involved. Whether it’s a full-fledged
casino or a racino filled with slot machines,
when the house wins, someone else loses. And
make no mistake; the house always wins. For too
many of the losers, gambling is far more than
harmless recreation that hurts no one.
Lawmakers,
business owners and tribal officials in
Maine’s poorest county already
are touting the racino as economic salvation.
“This is a vote that will give great hope to the
people of Washington
County,” proclaimed Senator Kevin Raye of Perry.
Perhaps so, but
we believe such expectations are misplaced. Has
it occurred to nobody that most of the patrons
of a racino inevitably will be drawn from its
surrounding area? Surveys indicate that, except
for major mega-casinos such as Foxwoods and
gambling meccas such as Las Vegas and Atlantic
City, most casinos draw primarily from a radius
of less than 100 miles. It seems highly unlikely
that a Washington
County racino, with limited amenities, is going to become a recreation
destination for folks hundreds of miles away.
Instead, the hard-earned dollars already in the
pockets of Downeast residents simply will be
redistributed. Tribal members, if they profit at
all, will do so at the expense of their
non-tribal neighbors.
The legislation
must still gain full House and Senate approval
and pass muster with Governor John Baldacci. The
Governor once voiced his opposition to any
expansion of gambling in Maine, but he has since
embraced the Powerball lottery so a
gubernatorial veto is not a sure thing.
But the bill
ought never to arrive on his desk. The
Legislature is ignoring the fact that the racino
referendum approved by
Maine voters authorized a
limited number of slot machines at existing
commercial racetracks. When last we looked, no
such track existed in Washington
County. So clearly, any gambling expansion such as proposed by LD 1573 should
go to the people of
Maine for
consideration.
Washington
County already has the state’s lowest per capita income and highest per capita
spending on the state lottery. Week after week,
folks who may wonder how they’ll pay for next
week’s food or heat nevertheless shell out $1,
or $5, or $10 for lottery tickets, hoping in
vain that they’ll strike it rich. Throw 1,500
slot machines into the mix and their problems
only will worsen. |
