Maine News - Page 6

News Brief: Penn National Gaming Inc.'s efforts to open a slots facility ran into a problem, after members of the Maine Gambling Control Board found themselves unable to issue one of Penn's slot machine distributors the permanent license it was seeking.

News Brief: After having witnessed the barrage of slots-related bills that went before state lawmakers last session, city councillors are calling for a three-year waiting period before any substantive changes are made to existing state law.

A faltering campaign to force a statewide vote on a proposal to ban slot machines in Maine has received an eleventh-hour boost from two conservative Christian groups.

News Brief: The Maine Gambling Control Board is slated today to issue several licenses crucial to Penn National Gaming Inc.'s plans to bring slot machines to Bangor.

News Brief: A proposal to establish a racetrack casino in Washington County is still alive. It is likely to go to the voters of Maine in referendum form in November 2006 and it is likely to be approved.

Tribal leaders submitted an application with state election officials Monday, aiming to put the question out to voters in November 2006.

The watch continued Wednesday for supporters and opponents of a statewide referendum on an Indian-operated racetrack casino in Washington County.

News Brief: The Senate Tuesday night voted 22-13 to put a proposal for a racino in Washington County on a statewide ballot. The tally falls just one vote shy of the needed two-thirds majority to override a possible veto by Gov. John Baldacci.

News Brief: A bill that would allow non-profit organizations to hold high-stakes poker games six times a year is quietly and quickly working its way through the Maine Legislature.

News Brief: Governor John Baldacci began talks Tuesday with Passamaquoddy and Penobscot leaders to try to break an impasse over plans for a tribal racino in Washington County.

News Brief: Minutes after the Maine Senate gave final approval to a Washington County racino Friday, leaders of the state's American Indian tribes requested a meeting with Gov. John Baldacci.

News Brief: In a historic development Thursday, a bill that would pave the way for a tribal racetrack and casino in Washington County received final and all-but-final approval respectively in the Maine House and Senate.

News Brief: The Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding a two-day job fair to fill positions for its proposed casino.

Opponents of a proposed Indian racino in Washington County say the bill that authorizes the facility would also allow slot machines in other areas of Maine.

News Brief: Governor John Baldacci hardened his opposition to any expansion of gambling in Maine, telling lawmakers Monday that he would probably veto a bill to open a racetrack with slot machines in Washington County.

News Brief: A plan for a tribal racetrack casino Down East faced fresh opposition this week with the defection of a state lawmaker from Bangor, where officials have been wary of the plan's propensity to galvanize efforts to outlaw slots.

Penn National Gaming, Inc. reports that Jon Johnson has been named, subject to being granted all necessary regulatory approvals, General Manager of Penn's new gaming facility now under development in Bangor, Maine.

News Brief: Maine gambling opponents were dealt two losing hands with a Legislative panel backing a tribal racetrack casino while summarily rejecting attempts to limit operations at a slots facility planned for Bangor.

Penn National Gaming’s subsidiary, Bangor Historic Track, Inc., has agreed to acquire an off-track betting facility in Bangor, Maine which Penn National intends to use as a temporary gaming facility for approximately 475 slot machines.

News Brief: Maine's two largest Indian tribes, hoping to boost ailing revenue streams, have submitted separate bills that would allow them to operate slot machines on or near their respective reservations.