Backers of the casino proposal are dangling the carrot in front of the poor horse. They say they will give us $100 million a year. There is absolutely no guarantee of this. They say they will create 10,000 new jobs. There is absolutely no guarantee of this either.

I would like to know what the ratio is for the casino. How much money do they keep and how much they give back to those who gamble? Let’s use a 4 to 1 ratio for talking purposes. The $100 million a year we get will come from the slots only. We are not to share in any of the other gambling activities. If we are to get $100 million a year, that means people will have to spend $400 million on the slots. Is there that kind of money in our state that can be spent on gambling?

The casino’s supporters say it’s not about money, it’s about jobs. If the people of Maine dump that kind of cash into the slots, it will definitely be about money. Casino supporters also say the casino will not cost the taxpayers a cent. Who do they think is going to be doing the gambling in the casino?

Again I say, they are dangling the carrot in front of the poor horse. And, if we say “yes” to this casino, the poor horse will be chasing the carrot for the next 20 years to no avail.

Bruce Pinette, Lewiston