Peters Resigns from Gaming Board

The Maine Gambling Control Board is short one member these days, as Mike Peters has resigned citing expanded gambling his reason for the resignation. In his letter to Governor John Baldacci, Peters resigns from his position saying that he is against expanded gambling and that he will probably only be the first of many resignations.

He says that there are others like him on the board who do not want to see gambling expanded, and they fear that the state has gotten out of control with it. He says that the casino in Bangor, Hollywood Slots, was misrepresented to them and that with the expansion of that casino, as well as the various tribes that the state is considering giving slot machines to, that gambling has gotten out of control in the state.

He says they also have a problem with the amount of money that Maine is getting from the existing slot machines. He says that they are not getting the amount that they should be, and that they should be making more money off of it, especially since the people who own the casinos are making money hand over fist.

He says the people of Maine are getting ripped off, and that the number of programs that could be benefiting from it and yet are not is shameful. He says that the Board and the state have a responsibility to do what is right for everyone, not just what is right for a few people.

He says that the state did not negotiate properly with the amount of money that they should have gotten, and he says that all future negotiations will end up the same. He says he told them how to make more money off of it, so he will wait and see what changes if any get made.


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