Raising the stakes | Maine harness racing model cited at regional gaming conference
Maine’s harness racing industry has enjoyed a healthy boost from slot machine revenues, a case study in a regional trend toward greater corporate responsibility in the gaming industry.
“Our success is because of our contribution to agriculture and farms and open space,” Donald Marian, a lobbyist for Maine Harness Racing, told industry stakeholders convened at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun recently for the New England Gaming Summit. “Now our horse industry is absolutely unbelievable.”
Supporting host communities and dedicating revenues to more than just business profits, along with addressing the negative impacts of gambling, were hot topics of discussion at the summit. When Maine’s harness racing tracks promoted an initiative to install slot machines at their facilities, the focus was on the benefits to agriculture and the horse racing community. After the machines helped to revive the tracks, the facilities’ owners sent checks to all Maine farmers, even those without horses. They also funded the state gaming oversight board to cut down on government expenses in regulating the industry and built up smaller horse racing venues throughout the state to keep the industry viable at more than just the racinos.
But two of the state’s horse breeding and racing associations, among others, have come out against a proposal to build a casino in Oxford County, a project that could compete with Hollywood Slots in Bangor. The casino project’s backer, Black Bear Entertainment, has said it will direct a percentage of its projected $70 million in net revenues to harness racing in Maine, if voters approve the plan in November. Biddeford voters will have the chance to bring harness racing and slot machines to their town if a racino proposal backed by Scarborough Downs and New Hampshire-based development firm Ocean Properties passes on the local ballot.
Jackie Farwell
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