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Oxford Casino, based in Maine, filed a federal lawsuit challenging “efforts to grant a monopoly on online casino-style gambling (“iGaming”) to four specially selected Indian Tribes.”
This is after Governor Mills, of the State of Maine, announced his intention to allow the LD 1164 bill, which is named ‘An Act to Create Economic Opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations‘ to become law.
It was announced on January 8, along with the bill authorizing Maine tribal governments to operate online gambling in the state to support tribal communities and economic development.
“Governor Mills’ support for historic progress in tribal economic development, particularly his decision to let LD 1164 become lawmarks an economic turning point for the Passamaquoddy people and for all Wabanaki Nations,” said Chief William Nicholas Sr. of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indian Township in initial news releasealong with other tribal leaders.
The Oxford Casino case against Maine comes after the tribal bill was allowed to become law
on FILINGnaming the defendant as Executive Director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, the casino – which is one of two brick-and-mortar casinos in Maine – alleged that “the Legislature has blessed a race-based monopoly that will allow Maine Tribes alone to offer iGaming in every square inch of Maine.”
They went on to say that promoting iGaming through ‘race-based preferences’ “deals a devastating blow to Maine businesses like Oxford Casino that invest heavily in the State and its people.”
In the lawsuit, they cited a study commissioned by The Innovation Group, called the Economic Impacts of iGaming Expansion, which they said showed that “land-based casino revenues decreased by 16% on average after the introduction of iGaming causing many job losses, hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic output, and reduced tax contributions that fund public services.”
They also alleged that “the creation of a race-based monopoly for state businesses violates equal protection, violates constitutional prohibitions on economic protectionism, and fails to be checked under the United States and Maine Constitutions.”
Oxford Casino has been offering gaming in the state since 2012 and is one of two licensed casinos in Maine. BB Development, LLC, doing business as Oxford Casino Hotel, is a Maine corporation and a subsidiary of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
Featured Image: Toohool via WikiCommons / CC0 1.0
The post Oxford Casino takes Maine to court over allowing tribes to operate iGaming first appeared in ReadWrite.
