The slot machine story line is already changing.

When supporters of Question 2 visited the Sun Journal, they made it clear that one of the things voters liked about the initiative was that it could be altered, unlike the proposal for the casino. They also said they would be willing to go before the Legislature to tighten regulations and give more money to state programs and horsemen.

Much as we feared, that conciliatory language appears to have been little more than campaign rhetoric, and now that the election is over, the tune is changing.

A spokesman for the Coalition for Harness Racing and Agriculture – the primary financial backer of Question 2 – said no changes should be made in the law.

“To tinker with something that the majority of voters just voted through with a record turnout” would not make sense, David Nealley told the Sun Journal. “To me we heard the voters loud an clear.”

As the law stands, 75 percent of the money generated by the slot machines will go to the Bangor Raceway owners, in this case Las Vegas-based Capital Seven. Capital Seven is also the principal investor behind the Coalition for Harness Racing and Agriculture. The remaining 25 percent will be split between horsemen, agricultural fairs and the state. Slot revenue from the Bangor track could reach $64 million a year.

A rift between the Vegas developers and the local groups they used to sell slot machines at race tracks already is developing.

Bill Hathaway, director of the Maine Harness Horsemen Association, said Nealley was speaking for Capital Seven, not the horsemen and agriculture. “Does the language need adjustment? Yes it does,” Hathaway said. “We look for complete cooperation from Capital Seven, because this was passed on the premise to help horsemen and agriculture. We will go to the Legislature” and ask for changes.

Much was made about the economic development that could be expected from slot machines at Maine’s two commercial race tracks. But the promises are already diluted. Because Scarborough residents rejected slot machines at Scarborough Downs, Bangor Raceway is left with a monopoly on that type of gambling.

Shawn Scott, the businessman behind Capital Seven, plans to install 1,500 slot machines in Bangor. Much ballyhooed before Nov. 4 were the plans to build a new hotel, gaming facility and entertainment complex in the city to accompany the slots. There’s no date on a groundbreaking and construction is likely to follow far behind – if at all – the introduction of the slot machines, which you can bet won’t take very long.

Question 2 is off to an inauspicious start.

Gov. John Baldacci, who opposed the question, has vowed to go through the legislation with a fine-toothed comb to protect Maine’s interests.

It’s too bad that’s necessary. But it definitely is.


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