The members of a legislative committee indicated their support on February 2nd, 2010 for the state of Maine's participation in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery as a way to generate additional income for the state.
But legislators on the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee postponed votes on several gaming-related issues, including whether to permit casino table games at Hollywood Slots or to allow the bingo-line electronic game "Keno" in the state of Maine.
Committee members unanimously voted to permit the Maine State Lottery to join the more than thirty other states that participate in the Mega Millions, the country's biggest jackpot lottery. However, the Mega Millions proposal faces additional votes before the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee as well as in the full legislature.
If the state of Maine were to join the Mega Millions by May 2010, the state could receive approximately $250,000 in revenue through June 30th, which signals the end of the current fiscal year. Yearly revenues expected to flow into the state coffers from Mega Millions are estimated at $1.5 million.
Committee members supported expanding Maine's lottery offerings as an option to avoid deep cuts as part of legislators' attempts to cut down $438 million from the budget. The committee is very concerned about a proposal to cut the executive director post within the Gambling Control Board.
Last week, in a presentation to the legislature's budget-writing committee, the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee said that weakening the commission that handles gambling at Hollywood Slots in Bangor would be an irresponsible move.
Since the commission's creation in 2005, the Gambling Control Board's staff has shrunk from ten to six despite the fact that the Hollywood Slots facility has grown. The board uses less than five percent of the revenues Maine receives from the racino.
The Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee wrote to their colleagues on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, that considering the worth of proper oversight of the Hollywood Slots, this is a small expense. It would be careless of the legislature to do anything that would compromise this important revenue stream.
Senator Debra Plowman (R-Hampden) said that she agreed to go along with the Mega Millions proposal as long as part of the $250,000 produced this fiscal year goes to maintaining the executive director position within the Gambling Control Board. The position is held by former Bangor Police Deputy Chief Robert Welch.
Other legislators agreed and the committee plans to place language to that effect in the recommendations it will give to the Appropriations Committee later this week. The committee also reviewed a proposal to permit casino table games like blackjack and poker at Hollywood Slots in order to produce additional revenue for Maine.
But the legislators deferred a decision on the issue. One potential problem is whether such proposal would conflict with a ballot initiative, schedule on November 2010, for a resort and casino facility in Oxford County. Legislators are blocked from acting on any legislation that could compete with a pending vote.
Public safety Commissioner Anne Jordan also informed the committee that the casino table games are much more labor intensive to manage than slot machines because of the big potential for abuse. That would need additional expenditures on the state's end. Another proposal under review would allow keno in Maine.
A combination of lottery drawing and bingo, the game of keno features multiple drawings in an hour and can be enjoyed in restaurants, bars and other facilities. Committee members debated on whether to permit non-profit groups like veteran organizations, to offer the game of keno as an option to raise additional money.
Some groups have been struggling ever since Maine police started cracking down on video poker machines that offer gamers cash prize, which are prohibited in Maine.
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John M. Thorpe
