Tribal casino may open in Maine

Lawmakers are considering the approval of a proposal to set a tribal casino in Maine, but is facing major opposition anyway.

US.- The gaming market in Maine may expand in the near future as lawmakers are considering whether to approve a new casino or not. The state tribes would operate the venue – should it pass – but there has been major opposition to the proposal.

The Passamaquoddy representative to the Legislature, Rena Newell, voiced her support for the proposal. She urged members of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee to support the bill and help repair the poor relations between the tribes and the state.

“Not only to be recognised in the future as those who changed the rejections of history, but as those who recognised the need to work together in improving tribal-state relations,” she said.

The tribal casino would be located at an undetermined location, 50 miles from the Bangor or Oxford County venues. Both have voiced their opposition, which different business groups have supported. They fear a third casino may draw more money away from the local economy but provide no real benefit.

The tribe’s push

The tribe has been waiting several years to bring a casino to the area, but, in November, the state Supreme Court decided not to take a stand on tribal gaming’s constitutionality.

Clarissa Sabattis, tribal chief, said that the tribe would no longer send a representative to the Maine Legislature in Augusta. This comes after the Supreme Court issued an opinion on a question propounded by the House of Representatives regarding the status of tribal gaming and the permission to conduct such activities without permission from the state. The court determined that the question is not “a serious and immediate nature.”