AUGUSTA - On Wednesday, a bill from Rep. Laura Supica, D-Bangor, LD 1777, had a public hearing before the Legislature's Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. The bill would help establish greater economic opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations by authorizing each federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in Maine to operate internet gaming, opening up new a revenue stream.
"This legislation is about allowing the tribes in Maine to have access to unencumbered resources to reinvest in their communities and rural Maine," said Supica. "The revenue will allow the tribes in Maine to invest in businesses, education, health care, infrastructure and a host of other areas that will benefit tribal citizens and their rural Maine neighbors."
A 2022 Harvard University study found that the Wabanaki have underperformed economically compared to other tribes in the lower 48 states. Additionally, the unemployment rates for tribal members are more than double of other non-tribal Mainers. The average age of death among Penobscot, Passamaquoddy and Maliseet tribal members is 54 years, compared to the U.S. national average, which is 76 years.
The internet gaming licensing structure would be issued by the existing Gambling Control Unit within the Maine Department of Public Safety and be modeled after the licensing structure for online sports betting, which was legalized in 2022. Ten percent of the internet gaming revenue would be passed onto the state to be used to support public safety and health work such as E911 response, opioid use disorder prevention and treatment, and emergency housing relief.
The bill will have a work session in the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee in the coming weeks.
Supica is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents District 22, which includes part of Bangor. She serves as House chair of the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Supica], 305-965-2744