What seems like a joke – due to the apparent contradiction – is not: a casino is against the legalization of online gambling. The scene takes place in the state of Maine
The Oxford Hotel & Casino, owned by the giant Churchill Downs, filed a federal lawsuit against the Maine Gambling Control Unit to try to stop the rule from coming into effect. The argument? That the law grants the Wabanaki Nations the exclusive right to manage the online industry, which – according to the company – constitutes a “racial monopoly”.
“Promoting iGaming through race-based preferences is a severe blow to Maine businesses like Oxford Casino, which have invested heavily in the state and its people,” the legal filing states.
Churchill Downs claims it could lose millions of dollars as a result of the new legislation. In its lawsuit, it states that the law violates the Equal Protection clauses of the constitutions of the United States and the state of Maine itself, which prohibit discrimination on racial grounds.
Furthermore, it relies on a study by the National Association Against iGaming, which warns that online gambling could indirectly lead to 378 fewer jobs, US$22 million less in labor income, and US$60 million less in total economic contribution.
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The bill to legalize online games was approved in June. Governor Janet Mills neither signed nor vetoed it before the end of the legislative session, but as the formal deadlines passed, the rule ended up becoming law without her signature automatically.
The background is significant: in 2023, the state had already granted the Wabanaki Nations the exclusive right to operate sports betting, a market that generated profits of US$66 million.
Tribes respond: “It’s not a monopoly, it’s opening the market”
On the other hand, the Wabanaki Nations – which include the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and the Mi’kmaq Nation – argue that the measure does not create a monopoly, but rather breaks a historical one.
For decades, tribal leaders tried to develop their own casinos, but state authorities prevented it, while the state’s two commercial casinos concentrated the business.
“The Wabanaki tribes were excluded from this market until Governor Janet Mills supported them first with sports betting and now with online gambling,” said Passamaquoddy Chief William Nicholas. He went further: “For years, interests from other states have enriched themselves with their monopoly, and now they attack the inhabitants of Maine who are here to support and sustain the local economy.”
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