Maliseets again seek casino for Houlton

10 years ago

AUGUSTA, Maine – State legislators may once again be asked to consider a bill that would authorize the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to open a casino in Houlton.
Tribal Representative Henry J. Bear of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians has proposed legislation that would authorize the Department of Public Safety and Gambling Control Board to issue a casino license for the Houlton tribe.

Approval for a casino is contingent on a referendum vote in Aroostook County. The bill must first go through the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. A public hearing with that committee is expected in the coming weeks.
The proposed casino would be located on tribal land in Houlton and would be limited to 350 slot machines. The Tribe owns 52 acres of land in a commercial zone, across the road from the Tractor Supply Company.
A year ago, the Houlton Town Council drafted a letter of support for the project, but the board has yet to act in a similar fashion. The council is expected to consider such a similar letter at its next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday, April 13. Rep. Bear is expected to make a presentation to the council at that meeting.
The bill marks the second straight year that the Maliseets have sought to introduce legislation that would bring a casino to Houlton.
Last year, by a vote of 13 ‘yes’ and 22 ‘no’ the Maine Senate rejected the casino bill. That bill was met by opposition in central and southern Maine by operators of casinos in those areas, who stated a casino in Houlton would not likely generate new revenue for the state and instead would only take away revenues from the existing casinos in Bangor and Oxford Hills.
With a cap of 350 slot machines, the new proposal is a scaled down version of last year’s plan, which sought a maximum of 750 slot machines.
“A recent gaming expansion study has confirmed that there is an opportunity to increase the gaming industry here in northern Maine,” said Bear in a press release issued Tuesday morning. “The proposed Maliseet tribally-owned casino in Aroostook County would bring in both out-of-state and out-of-country money which would benefit Maine’s northern and Downeast economies.”
According to Bear, who is serving his second term in the Maine Legislature and represents the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the casino would be required by law to distribute 35 percent of net slot machine income and 16 percent of net table game income to more than a dozen municipalities in both Aroostook and Washington counties, all of the tribes in the state, a significant percentage to the host municipality, both County Commissions, and to scholarships at secondary educational institutions in Maine.
“The gaming expansion study estimated that the tribal casino would benefit from a unique northern and Canadian market, including the international border where approximately 97,000 transport trailer trucks transit Houlton each year,” Bear said. “(This) could result in as much as $200 million gross profit annually and a net profit to the Maliseet Tribe and local economies of $18 million if the facility is operated with a minimum of 250 slot machines and 10 table games.”
With many Senate and House co-sponsors, the bill has large bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle. Bear indicated that, provided the bill came with a voter referendum, the Governor has previously indicated he would send the bill to the Aroostook County voters to decide if the bill is passed by both Legislative bodies and reaches his desk.