Opposition to a bill that would allow a racino in Washington County may be about a lot of things, but it’s not about racism. Such an attack is unfair and distracts from the real debate about whether slot machine gambling should be allowed to expand beyond Bangor.

Donna Loring, an advocate for the Penobscot Nation, told the Portland Press Herald that the campaign against a second racino “on its face it does smack a bit of racism.”

CasinosNO! is the primary opponent of L.D. 1573, which would allow as many as 1,500 slot machines and a new horse racing track on or near tribal land. Gov. Baldacci also opposes the bill and has threatened a veto if the state House and Senate pass it.

The opposition argument centers around vague language in the legislation that could allow a racino far away from Washington County. According to a CasinosNO! analysis of the original language of the bill – which will likely be corrected – it would have allowed a racino in Albany Township near Bethel. Rumford, Norway, Bridgton, Lewiston and Auburn would also fall within the allowed zone if the Passamaquoddy land near Albany, which is held in trust by the U.S. government, is included.

The group also opposes gambling as a tool of economic development, and many of its members were part of the effort to keep slot machines out of Scarborough Downs. While it’s true the organization focused most of its political attention on defeating a proposed casino in southern Maine, the group also opposed the original legislation that allowed slot machines at racetracks in the first place. A difference of opinion about the correct path for development in Maine, not racism, is the motivating factor in the opposition.

Throwing a charge of racism on top of already heated debate does nothing to advance the cause of a racino in Washington County.