Casino in Maine? (Portland, Bangor, Brunswick: rent, low crime, how much)

[dmyankee]

Just curious what everyone thinks of the casino on the ballot.

The way life might be | Portland Press Herald

[Maineah]

Personally I don't think a casino is necessary, I'll vote against it.

[CoastalMaine]

They're tryin to get one in down here too with our one hit wonder governor Patrick on board. Yeesh! I haven't seen where the places that have allowed them are any better off than the ones who don't. Seems to me it's just a gravy train for the politicians... more money to spend rather than dropping costs for the taxpayers.

[K-Luv]

I say go for it. I have lived in two locations in the past that have had casinos go up near-by and for the most part things turned out okay.

I am willing to bet top dollar that the opposition to these casinos is backed largely by Hollywood Slots. Another casino in this state will take business away from them, and really making them the only ones who will suffer.

It does not matter if a new casino is owned by a Las Vegas entity as all businesses are owned by someone else anyways (like Poland Springs is NOT a Maine company, they are owned by Nestle, which if you did not know is a Switzerland based company. But no body cares about that, though, huh?). Regardless, a new casino will create jobs and mucho tax revenue for the state. But from the likes of it some Mainers want to keep Maine poor. Gives them something to moan about, I guess.

[mainesnowflake]

I am undecided on this one. My biggest concern is the impact it will have on our state. Maine is such a great place to live and visit because of its low crime and Values. What will we be giving up in exchange for state revenue, and is it worth it. I will keep checking in on this thread to see what others know or feel about this, I am very interested.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by mainesnowflake

I am undecided on this one. My biggest concern is the impact it will have on our state. Maine is such a great place to live and visit because of its low crime and Values. What will we be giving up in exchange for state revenue, and is it worth it. I will keep checking in on this thread to see what others know or feel about this, I am very interested.

How has Hollywood Slots negatively impacted the city of Bangor?

[Maineah]

if you want to do something positive and long lasting for Maine's economy why not come up with a plan to utilize the area and runway of Brunswick's Naval Air station when it closes.
It seems to me there's loads of potential in that area. Perhaps a regional base for Fed-Ex, DHL ,or UPS along with a meeting , convention center, fleet jet repair facility, new hotels etc. With the train from Boston running into Brunswick, it could be a central hub for the whole state. There would be many hundreds of sustainable jobs created and not just dealing blackjack and slinging drinks. Casinos seem to be sleazy operations slapped together for a quick buck. They take no brains to put together and give very little back to the communities who have to put up with them. Maine doesn't need to be turned into another sleaze hole. I'd like to think people come here for the beauty of the State not to gamble away the rent money. Casinos and deserts go well together. There's nothing there in the first place so who cares?

[CoastalMaine]

I'd rep ya for that post Maineah, but I've given too many out today over in the political threads section. lol GREAT post!!!!! I second your thoughts.

[elston]

I lived in San Diego County Ca where there were many casinos....and although I have no moral exception to gambling....I don't think that they bring very much that is positive to a community, and they drain off much more revenue than they bring....even considering jobs. Obviously of the millions of dollars that are wagered at the casinos......most of it is lost and most of the profits go to out of state interests. The State of Maine would be the poorer for the deal. The more desperate the economy the more people will wager good money after bad.

I say this with some ambivelance because we did go on occassion and had a good time...but we always knew the end result would be that we would lose what ever amount we set as our limit. It was like the price of admission for any other entertainment.....somethng you spent...not an investment. I would see people losing large amounts that they didnt appear to be able to afford....old people made up a large per cent of the clients....gambling pensions and social security money.

I plan to vote No. I dont like the way the prop is loaded in favor of the out of state interests. I am hopeful that Scarborough will also vote No on their local gambling inititive.

[Bydand]

I agree with the first part of Maineah's post, but not really the second part. What a casino can give back is ENTIRELY in the hands of the state when they write the agreement with the operators of the casino. The trick is too not get too greedy, but not be too giving either. I would have agreed 100% until I have seen first hand how much good a casino can do to a local area if the agreement is written right. The area I grew up in was always a bit economically depressed and remained so until I left for Maine in 87. Now that we are back to that area, the only real difference is the addition of a casino nearby. Guess what, all the local school districts that are impacted by the casino have new energy efficient buildings and/or upgrades to existing ones in their systems. There hasn't been any rise in crime except a few more speeding/OUI tickets given out and that could very well be the crack down on driving under the influence and speeding. I have seen the same increase while living in Aroostook County over the same period of time, so I lean toward better enforcement of those infractions and not just a rise in "popularity" of those infractions. The last year B&E's have gone up, but that is more an indication of the slumping economy and not a casino that has been in place for almost 10 years now. There is more entertainment in the form of concerts, and community plays that take place in the casinos small showroom and a lot of civic functions are held in the ball rooms and convention areas. The number of jobs really isn't that huge, but they are more than minimum wage for the most part. It is an "Indian" casino and from the changes I see in the local tribes I think they are a great idea. There is much more tribe/community pride (and rightly so, it has been cleaned up tremendously) and the abject poverty that was fairly common is almost gone now.

The school system my kids go to has benefited as well even being 30 miles away. We have a brand new upper elementary school which has been needed for a LONG time. The other buildings have gone through total renovations to the areas that needed it and although a lot of the money came from a bond passed by the voters of the community, the matching state funds are from the casino close by. Without those it would have been back to band-aid fixes crossed fingers. Kids would still be sitting on the floors of the schools to eat lunch, because there just wasn't enough room in the cafeteria to fit them all in. Band, gym, & Choir would all still be sharing the same gym, at the same time due to space issues. I WAS a firm believer in the "evils" of local casinos, but after living close to one, I have changed my mind.

It all depends on how the state writes the agreements though, and I CAN still see how it could be bad news if the casinos are given what amounts to free rein. I agree that a casino, or even multiple casinos are NOT the answer to economic turn around of an entire state. That is going to take the development of places like Brunswick Air Station, and further development of the old Loring Air Force base in Limestone (even though they are fighting the whole distance and location issue up there). It is going to take more in depth changes to the way business is conducted in Augusta. A casino can be a BIG economic shot in the arm to whatever area it is located in though. Any place that can employ 900+ people in an area the size Southern Aroostook County or Northern Washington County cannot be dismissed out of hand because it is different from what is the "norm." This is the place I am talking about that is close to me. It is typical of the smaller casinos that most tribes have from what I have seen around. It might give a bit of perspective of what you might be looking at there. Little River Casino Resort, Manistee, MI. (http://www.littlerivercasino.com/index.html - broken link) Not only do they provide a lot of jobs for their own tribe members, but a lot of jobs for the surrounding communities as well. Plus construction jobs all the time as well as landscaping, snow removal, and other secondary jobs that are directly tied into the casino, but doesn't fall under their own payroll. It has been VERY good for this area.

If it is local interests that are building it can be good, it it is out of state, then elston is correct that most of the income is funneled reight out of town without much benefit. That also is covered by the agreement between the state and the owners of the places though. It all revolves around the agreement!!!!!!