{"id":44232,"date":"2017-01-25T18:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T02:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=44232"},"modified":"2017-01-25T18:07:37","modified_gmt":"2017-01-26T02:07:37","slug":"maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine’s Governor Paul LePage Slams Casino Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s safe to say Governor of Maine Paul LePage is not a fan of a proposal to build a new casino in the south of the state.<\/p>\n

\"Maine
Controversial figure Shawn Scott (right), with his attorney, is strongly suspected of bankrolling a referendum on casino expansion via his sister, Lisa. (Image: Press Herald)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Speaking on Bangor radio station WVOM-FM, on which he is a weekly guest, the Republican<\/a> governor claimed those behind the venture were motivated by \u201cgreed\u201d rather than good public policy, and their plans represented the \u201cslow deterioration of your government process.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also believes that Maine does not have the \u201ccritical mass\u201d to support a third casino on top of the existing Oxford Casino and the Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor.<\/p>\n

The objects of the governor\u2019s opprobrium would appear to be Lisa Scott of Horseracing Jobs Fairness, and her brother, Shawn Scott.<\/p>\n

Smoke and Mirrors<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lisa Scott, a Miami resident, is listed as the sole officer named on the committee of Horseracing Jobs Fairness, which has successfully campaigned to have casino expansion added to the ballot next November.<\/p>\n

She also appears to have funded the $4.2 million signature-gathering campaign herself, which officially attained the necessary quota to force the referendum this week.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Scott, her proposal to build a casino with 1,500 new slot machines is designed to increase funding for the state\u2019s embattled horseracing<\/a> industry.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe major focus of the effort will be to recognize the importance of preserving Maine\u2019s horseracing tradition, agricultural industry, and open space,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But it also sets a strict definition for those eligible to operate a future casino. It suggests the state should accept license applications only from \u201can entity that owned in 2003 at least 51 percent of an entity licensed to operate a commercial track in Penobscot County that conducted harness racing with pari-mutuel wagering on more than 25 days during calendar year 2002.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strangely enough, the only \u201centity\u201d on the planet that fits this very specific description is her brother, Shawn.<\/p>\n

Controversial Figure<\/b><\/h2>\n

Shawn Scott has previous: in 2003 he bankrolled a successful referendum to permit slot machines at the struggling Bangor Raceway, which he had purchased the previous year for just over $1 million.<\/p>\n

Shortly after, the Maine Harness Racing Commission accused him of demonstrating \u201csloppy, if not irresponsible financial management\u201d and noted he had 37 lawsuits against him in four states. He later sold the Bangor raceway and all its recently installed slot machines for a $50 million profit.<\/p>\n

Governor LePage is further incensed the campaign\u2019s refusal to contribute to a fund to mitigate potential damage to the local economy in the event a third casino is realized. The proposed contribution of $50 million (coincidence?) would be refunded after five years, should the two existing casinos survive in the face of increased competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s safe to say Governor of Maine Paul LePage is not a fan of a proposal to build a new casino in the south of the state. Speaking on Bangor radio station WVOM-FM, on which he is a weekly guest, the Republican governor claimed those behind the venture were motivated by \u201cgreed\u201d rather than good […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":44236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaine's Governor Paul LePage Slams Casino Proposal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Governor Paul LePage criticizes campaign to authorize a casino in Maine which appears to be solely designed for the benefit of Shawn Scott.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maine's Governor Paul LePage Slams Casino Proposal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Governor Paul LePage criticizes campaign to authorize a casino in Maine which appears to be solely designed for the benefit of Shawn Scott.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-01-26T02:00:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-01-26T02:07:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/773951_712888-ShawnScott.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"999\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"676\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/\",\"name\":\"Maine's Governor Paul LePage Slams Casino Proposal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/773951_712888-ShawnScott.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-01-26T02:00:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-26T02:07:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Governor Paul LePage criticizes campaign to authorize a casino in Maine which appears to be solely designed for the benefit of Shawn Scott.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/maines-paul-lepage-governor-slams-casino-proposal\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/773951_712888-ShawnScott.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/773951_712888-ShawnScott.jpg\",\"width\":999,\"height\":676,\"caption\":\"Controversial figure Shawn Scott (right), with his attorney, is strongly suspected of bankrolling a referendum on casino expansion via his sister, Lisa. 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