Maine Governor vetoes tribal gaming bill

Attempts to legalize betting on tribal land will start over.

Two weeks ago, the Maine Senate approved legislation that would see tribal land become legal places to operate casinos and gaming venues. This bill has now been vetoed by Maine’s governor, Janet Mills (pictured). 

Tribal gaming in Maine is yet to be legalized due to agreements made in the 1980 Maine Indian Land Claim Settlement that prevent the state’s tribes from launching casinos on their land, as 570 tribes throughout the country do.  

The bill was rejected by Mills due to issues relating to taxation and public health concerns. She highlighted that the legislation fails to outline how much tax the tribes would pay toward the state from gaming earnings. 

“This bill provides no predictability or meaningful limitations on where tribal gaming may occur, or on the size of each facility,” wrote Mills. “The tribal gaming facilities that the legislation would authorize could be large or small, anything from a grand casino to a few slot machines in a convenience store, and the state and adjacent non-tribal communities would have little or no influence over their placement.” 

The leaders of the four tribes in Maine have reacted negatively to the news with Chief Maggie Dana of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point saying: “Governor Mills provides lip service to wanting to engage on tribal issues. However, if she thought they were important she would meet with tribal leaders to discuss updating the Settlement Act more than two times over the last two years. Governor Mills missed a great opportunity to catch up with the other states that work with the other 570 federally recognized tribes.” 

This legislation originally passed through the senate on June 17 by 22-13. It was also approved in the house by 97-40, However, neither of these results give the bill a two-thirds majority that would override the governor’s veto.  

“This wasn’t something the tribes created out of the air,” said Representative Benjamin Collings, the bill’s sponsor. “We just felt we did our homework and tried to offer an option for the state and tribes that already exist in states all around the country. Why wouldn’t we want to have that success story happen in Maine?” 

Henry Moore

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