HOULTON, Maine — Could a casino be coming to the Shiretown? The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians certainly hopes so.
Sponsored by Henry John Bear, Maliseet tribal representative to the Maine Legislature, L.D. 1298 is “an act to authorize the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to operate a casino in Aroostook County.” The bill may be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
The HBMI’s casino plan was one of five gambling bills recently reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee for Veterans and Legal Affairs in Augusta. None of the gambling bills received the endorsement of the committee. The group voted 7-5 “ought not to pass,” for the Houlton casino bill. Tribal Rep. Wayne Mitchell was able to register a sixth vote of support for the bill, according to Rep. Bear, but that vote does not count toward the official tally.
Bear said although the Houlton plan was voted “ought not to pass,” it did generate more support than any other gambling bill reviewed. A minority report will be introduced to the Legislature when it goes to the House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
Should the bill pass through the Maine Legislature, an Aroostook County referendum would be held to see if residents support or reject the concept.
Dubbed the Aroostook Gateway Casino, the bill is the culmination of several years of work by the Tribe. Down the road, Tribe members would like to create a “resort destination,” complete with a hotel and restaurant on the premises. Initially, however, the focus is solely on the gaming facility.
“We’ve been watching the gaming efforts in Maine, especially with the other tribes, for a while now,” said Brenda Commander, chief of the HBMI. “It’s not a new concept for a tribe to have gaming. Most of our counterparts in tribes on the Eastern seaboard all have casinos.”
“The overall concept is to create a resort area to increase tourism for Aroostook County,” added Wade Hanson, economic development director for the HBMI.
Hanson, who is also a Houlton town councilor, stated the HBMI casino would initially bring about 100 full- and part-time jobs to the area and has the potential for hundreds more. The Maliseets would like to build their casino on tribal-owned land on the North Road. The Tribe owns 52 acres of land in a commercial zone, across the street from the Tractor Supply Company.
Maliseet Nation operates the Eagles Nest gaming palace in Woodstock, New Brunswick, but the Houlton casino would be much larger, with up to 750 slot machines and table games. Additionally, Hollywood Slots in Bangor is about 121 miles from Houlton.
The HBMI proposal was originally prepared for the Maine Legislature a year ago, but was held over to the current session.
Revenue from the casino would be distributed at both the state and local level, providing a much needed economic boost for the Houlton community. The bill states that 36 percent of the net slot machine income would be distributed to both the state and local entities.
Of that 36 percent, 10 percent would be forwarded directly to the state treasurer, to credit the money to the Department of Education to be used exclusively in Aroostook County to supplement funding for essential programs and services.
The town of Houlton would receive 3 percent to supplement its revenues and Aroostook County would receive 2 percent to be used to cover mitigation of costs resulting from gaming operations.
Additionally, 3 percent of the net must be forwarded to the University of Maine system scholarship fund; two percent must be forwarded to the Maine Community College system for scholarships; 10 percent must be forwarded to the treasurer of the state and distributed equally among the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians.
Also, one percent each would be given to the following groups — the state’s general fund for gambling addiction-counseling services; the Agricultural Fair Support Fund; supplementing harness racing purses; the Sire Stakes fund; and the Maine Milk Pool.
Income from the gaming tables would also be distributed locally and at the state level.
“We have seen an economic decline in Aroostook County,” Commander said. “We want to be able to help out our towns and Aroostook County.”
The revenue would also aid the Tribe in helping make them be more self-sufficient, Hanson added.
Twelve individuals submitted public testimony on the proposed Houlton casino during a Jan. 8 hearing in Augusta. As one might expect, Bangor and Oxford officials — including the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, Bangor City Manager Catherine Conlow and officials with Hollywood Slots and Oxford Hills Casino — registered opposition to the HBMI’s casino plans.
Those in opposition to the Houlton casino stated it would not likely generate new revenue for the state and instead would “cannibalize” revenues from the existing casinos in Bangor and Oxford Hills.
HBMI officials refute those claims, stating a casino in Houlton would provide untapped revenue from both the northern part of the state, as well as western New Brunswick. Commander acknowledged there is likely to be opposition to a casino in the Shiretown from local residents as well, but stressed the economic benefit to the area was too substantial to pass up.
“We anticipate 30 percent of the revenues would be new money coming into the state from Canada,” Commander said.
Commander added Tribal representatives have met with Gov. Paul LePage, who has expressed his support for the project.
The Houlton Town Council drafted a letter of support for the casino project dated Feb. 11, 2014. Town Manager Eugene Conlogue introduced the letter, without much public discussion by the council, at a Feb. 10 meeting.
“We fully support the Band’s efforts to develop a steady and profitable revenue stream for all of its programs and services to the tribal membership,” the letter states. “The casino is an appropriate enterprise to provide economic stability to the Band.
“Locating a casino in Houlton is logical as it will likely capture a good amount of traffic from neighboring New Brunswick. Houlton is a major port of entry that processes over 700,000 vehicles per year. It is also the beginning point of Interstate 95.”
According to the document, the town of Houlton would also receive benefits from the casino, both in the form of a direct share of the profits, as well as the economic boost to area motels, restaurants and gas stations.
“This project is good for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, good for the town of Houlton, and good for the state of Maine,” the town’s letter of support states.
