Maine tribal sports betting bill backed by Gov. Mills; draws opposition from casinos

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has shown support for an expansion of tribal gaming rights, leading to controversy with local casinos. The state’s four tribal nations stood in agreement on a group of targeted reforms, which were presented to legislators on Thursday, including the allowance of mobile and in-person sports betting facilities to be operated in tribal reservations.

The 34-page proposal, produced through negotiations between the Maine government and the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Houlton band of Maliseets, drew opposition from the state’s existing casino interests, reports Portland Press Herald.

Casinos and sports operators testified in opposition to the bill, an amendment to bill L.D. 585, alleging it would allow tribes to be the sole conductors of sports wagering while leaving them out of the profitable market. 

"We feel as though we should have fair and equal treatment when it comes to having the opportunity to engage in sports wagering," said John Williams, executive director of the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce, in defense of the Oxford Casino.

Maine Capitol House

Jon Mandel of the Sports Betting Alliance -a coalition of gambling interests including heavyweight operators DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM- said the group opposed the initiative because it would limit “the number of companies that can engage” in the market, according to the cited source.

The proposed bill would also remove state sales taxes from certain goods and services produced and consumed on tribal territories, or give the revenues from those taxes to the tribes, as well as lift state taxes on incomes earned by tribal members on their reservations. While backed by tribes, they stressed it is not a substitute for far more expansive legislative efforts to grant Maine nations privileges applied to other federally recognized tribes in the US.

The legislation is sponsored by assistant Democratic House leader Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland. Most notably, it would finally give tribes access to sports betting, which they see as an industry that has been long denied to them at both the ballot box and the Legislature.

"We will continue our efforts to regain our sovereignty through L.D. 1626," Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis told legislators, according to Maine Public. "But, today's amendment to L.D. 585 will provide some meaningful economic benefits to the Penobscot people, our communities and the local surrounding communities in which many of our people live and work.” 

Hollywood Casino in Bangor, Maine

Meanwhile, Passamaquoddy tribal attorney Michael-Corey Francis Hinton noted the bill helped rectify the state’s discrimination against the tribes in the authorizing of casinos by others while preventing similar economic development efforts by the tribes.

"This legislation recognizes that the way that Maine's gaming industry has evolved has left out and discriminated against Native Americans," the attorney said. “This legislation recognizes that inequity must be addressed."

In opposition, Chris Jackson, a lobbyist speaking on behalf of Hollywood Casino in Bangor, said the company found the bill “to be a little bit of a headscratcher.” He further said the bill could also torpedo efforts to pass a sports betting bill carried over from last year, which would allow retail and mobile sports licenses for tribes, OTBs, commercial tracks and casinos.

Gaming businesses have been hoping for final approval of the bill before the end of the legislative session, an effort that would see its passage complicated due to the new tribal gaming proposal. Lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee are expected to hold a work session on the tribal bill in the coming weeks.