Question of Rhetoric Holds up Slots in Maine
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011There are a lot of debates revolving around slots gambling in today’s world. Right now there is an argument going on in Maine over distance. It seems that the casino market in the state has a ruling that slots can be brought in, but they have to be installed a minimum of 100 miles from other slots parlors. This normally would be easy enough to calculate, but the market has two sides. There of course is the pro- gambling faction and the anti- gambling one. On the pro- gambling side the rules seem to be much more black and white. This group says that they want the slots parlor in the state to be 100 miles— in terms of roadways—apart from each other. They believe that calculating a route via the existing highways and roads is good enough allow space for each slots parlor to operate. On the other side though is the anti- gambling group. They believe that the distance should be based on the circumference of 100 miles. Though it may not sound like a big issue, in reality it is becoming a sore spot for movement forward with gambling initiatives. The ruling of “100 miles” is based on a ballot decision passed back in 2003 where spacing was decided upon. It was not visited for a while though but now is a huge sticking point for gaming companies to deal with. Whether or not casinos are built is going to be a big change and it will take time for both sides to continue debating the issue out and eventually come to a conclusion.
This is just one more thing that is holding up gambling right now. Sure the slot machines are lucrative, but they also come with a big debate that states have to take on. Once they are approved, then there are other issues to sort through. Finding a way to keep everyone happy is probably impossible, so legislators are trying to find the best option for their particular state to work with. As time moves on, there are going to be more and more debates, but hopefully there also will be more resolutions within state legislatures.

