Expert Believes Negative Campaigning Will Hurt CasinosNo! In Maine

Olympia Gaming knows at this stage in the game that it would be impossible to rewrite a Bill that would allow for a casino in Oxford County, Maine. They also know there are some flaws in the way the current Bill reads.

Dean Harrold of Olympia Gaming has done the only thing he can think of to help voters understand his intentions. He has given his word that if approved, the company would be in favor of rewriting the Bill to satisfy residents of Maine.

CasinosNo! is the main opposition group to the expansion of casino gambling, and they have had a field day with the problems in the current proposed Bill. One of the problems is that it would lower the gambling age from twenty one to nineteen. Harrold gave his word that the casino would not allow gamblers under the age of twenty one.

The other issue CasinosNo! has been preying on is the fact that the way the referendum is currently written, no casinos would be allowed to be built in Maine for a period of ten years. Again, Harrold had no problem changing that part of the referendum. Harrold claims that his company does not want a casino monopoly.

"These anti-gambling groups pop up all over the country whenever casino expansion becomes an issue. The bottom line is they don't have a legitimate argument, so they simply try to fear voters into voting against the expansion," said Mary Lynn Tyler, an analysts specializing in gaming legal issues.

Tyler also believes that in this case, CasinosNo! may be hurting themselves by focusing on the poorly written referendum. "In the case of Maine, CasinosNo! has expended so much energy trying to show people what is wrong with the referendum. The problem is that most people understand the words are easily rewritten."

When asked what the outcome of the vote will most likely be, Tyler responded, "I think that Maine voters are going to vote in favor of Question Two. People are sick and tired of the negative campaigning. We are seeing that at a national level with John McCain's troubles after running a negative campaign, and I believe we will see that here in Maine with Question Two being approved."

November 1, 2008
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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