Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

A legislative proposal to allow the Passamaquoddy Indian trible to build a racino in Washington County was discussed in a public hearing yesterday, according to a report in the Portland (Maine) Press Herald.

The hearings attracted business owners from the largely rural county, which lags behind the rest of the state in most economic indicators. The Tribe is proposing to host harness racing and to install 1,500 slot machines and share its revenue with three other Indian tribes in Maine. The formula would largely mirror the regulations in place for a yet-to-be constructed racino at Bangor Raceway, though some money would go to local economic development and scholarships.

The operators of the state’s two pari mutuel tracks, Scarborough Downs and Bangor Raceway, do not oppose the proposal. The Maine Department of Public Safety and the group Casinos No! both oppose the plan and testified to that effect. The state’s governor, John Baldacci, has said he opposes the bill but has not specified if will veto it if it passes the state house and senate.