Video gaming machines good for Maine, supporters say
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
WATERVILLE — Paula and Brian Dickerson leave their Canaan home once a week to bet money on the harness races shown at John Martin's Manor Restaurant and Lounge.
Cindy Bizier and Gary Lancaster, both of Waterville, study the horses before placing bets in John Martinšs Manor off-track betting establishment last week. click to enlarge
They enjoy the night away from their six children, spend $20 to $30, and have a night to themselves. Once a month, they venture to Connecticut to play games and slots at casinos run by Indian tribes.
To them, placing small bets on the horses is a form of entertainment, just like going to the movies.
They can't understand why Gov. John Baldacci promises to veto a bill that would allow off-track betting parlors to have video gaming machines. Brian Dickerson said the state runs a lottery, gets proceeds from harness racing and controls other vices such as liquor and cigarettes.
"It would be hypocritical for the state not to allow individuals and enterprise to embark in the same thing they are," said Dickerson, who runs a car dealership.
His wife said the machines would allow people who enjoy gambling to stay closer to home.
"The economy needs it now," she said.
Last month, the Legislature passed a bill to allow 2,200 video gaming machines at the five off-track betting parlors and race tracks across the state. It could bring 200 machines to Waterville alone.
Baldacci has promised to veto the bill, but hasn't done it yet. He said in an interview Thursday that the delay is not a reflection that he's rethinking his anti-gaming position.
"I'm very clearly opposed to this and I'm prepared to veto this legislation," he said.
The governor is under no deadline to veto the bill unless the Legislature comes back into session for four consecutive days. Even a special session for tax reform or a fall bond issue isn't likely to last that long, so he has until January to decide on a veto.
He said he probably will wait until after the November election, in which he hopes voters will soundly reject other gaming issues on the ballot. That will send a message to legislators, who overwhelmingly supported the bill, that Mainers don't want an expansion of gambling, Baldacci said.
If that happens, it will make it more difficult for legislators to override his veto.
And if voters support the casino referendum?
"I don't want to get into hypotheticals," he said. "You have to allow the debate and discussion to take place.
Still, he emphasized that he opposes the slot machine bill and is "fully prepared to veto it.
The harness racing industry has about a $50 million a year impact on the state's economy, according to the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board. That figure includes a commission on all bets placed at the tracks and the off track betting parlors, money spent at hotels and restaurants, equipment, jobs and veterinary services.
It's estimated the slot machines would bring in $13 million to the state's General Fund in 2004-2005, according to the Office of Fiscal and Program Review.
The bill specifies that at least 85 percent of the gross terminal revenue must be paid back to those who play the slots. The rest is split among those who own the machines, the state, agricultural fairs, the municipalities where the terminals are located, an addictive gambling program and the harness racing industry.
Bringing slots to Waterville will change the culture of the city, said Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine.
His group is gearing up for a campaign against the fall casino referendum and applauds the governor for promising to veto this bill.
"If this bill goes forward then we have really crossed the line to where you've got a mini-casino in the city of Waterville," Heath said.
The harness racing industry has been a vocal opponent of a proposal to allow two Indian tribes to build a casino in Sanford. They argue that a casino would hurt their business and say they are already suffering because unregulated Internet gambling is drawing away customers.
Peter Martin, who runs John Martin's Lounge, said Internet gambling is taking a bite out of his business. He said he needs the slot machines to compete with the games people play from the comfort of their own homes.
"I've lost a number of customers who just sit home and gamble online," he said. "Every computer in this state is their own mini-casino.
Martin said he'd have to expand his facility to make room for the machines. He said if Maine doesn't do something, horse owners will go elsewhere to find bigger purses.
As the Dickersons trotted back and forth to place bets and buy drinks on a recent night, others checked out the horses on the 50-some televisions that show races from Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maine.
At one table, two people study the program with a pile of losing tickets and two cups of coffee between them. In another corner of the room, a man stands close to the screen and cheers when his horse does well.
Others wait until the last minute to place their bets, walking briskly to the counter to lay down a little money in hopes of winning a lot.
It's remarkably quiet. Many people smoke cigarettes, but it's not smoky. There's a small non-smoking room where a group of older men follow the races.
"We need to stimulate the economy," Brian Dickerson said. "Get people out and about and get money circulating.
Susan M. Cover — 623-1056
scover@centralmaine.com