The Sun Journal’s editorial Nov. 6 interpreting the resounding defeat of the Oxford casino as evidence of growing support for casino gambling in Maine was a real head scratcher. Since 2000, Maine voters have repeatedly rejected casino gambling and slot machines, and suggesting that this shows anything but consistent opposition to big-time gambling threatens to undermine the will and intent of Maine voters.

The Sun Journal suggests that because some Maine counties voted down the casino by smaller margins than expected, this means that voters are warming to casinos. Reading the minds of voters is always tricky, and there are any number of interpretations of Tuesday’s vote.

But the bottom line is clear. When given a choice, Maine voters have consistently voted against slot machines and casinos. In eight campaigns that CasinosNO! has been involved in – four statewide referendums and four local votes – all of them resulted in defeats of casino gambling. (The one exception is the Bangor racino that, regrettably, was unopposed.)

Before examining the voting results by county, let’s look at the bigger picture.

In the November 2000 statewide referendum for slot machines at Scarborough Downs (a presidential election year), 387,872 voters said no, and the proposal failed. In the 2008 referendum for a casino in Oxford County, the only other time a gambling issue was on the ballot in a presidential year, almost the same number, 387,827, said no, a difference of only 45 votes. That to me does not show a “trend toward gambling,” but rock-solid opposition to expanded gambling in Maine.

Trying to figure out why one county voted for a casino this year but against one in the past leads to sheer speculation. The Sun Journal suggests voters in Penobscot County voted against the Oxford casino because they didn’t want it competing with Hollywood Slots. Perhaps. But an equally valid interpretation could be that, after living with a casino for five years and realizing it harms more people than it helps, they didn’t want to see another area of Maine make the same mistake.

Who really knows? What’s clear is efforts to expand casino gambling in Maine have failed, repeatedly, and Augusta as well as Las Vegas needs to get the message. If ever there was a year Maine voters would accept a casino, this was it. Yet despite outspending opponents 4-1, a sour economy that made the pro-casino message of jobs and economic development more enticing and a record turnout of maybe 80 percent, the casino promoters were turned down by Maine voters once again..

It’s time, finally, to put an end to the casino proposals and get to work creating real jobs and real opportunities for Maine people.

Phillip Harriman, Falmouth

Chairman, CasinosNo!