An Act To Authorize the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians To Operate a Casino in Aroostook County
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1298
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: BEAR
Amends: 8 MRSA §1011, 8 MRSA §1019, 8 MRSA §1020, 8 MRSA §1036

Legislative Document 
No. 1298 
H.P. 925 
House of Representatives, April 2, 2013 
An Act To Authorize the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians To 
Operate a Casino in Aroostook County 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BEAR of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  8 MRSA §1011, sub-§2-C is enacted to read: 
2-C.  Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians eligible for casino operator license.  
Notwithstanding subsection 2-B, the board may accept an application for a casino 
operator license to operate slot machines and table games at a casino on the North Road 
property of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in the Town of Houlton in Aroostook 
County from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. 
Sec. 2.  8 MRSA §1019, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2011, c. 417, §6, is further 
amended to read: 
7.  Statewide and county referendum; municipal vote.  After January 1, 2011, any 
proposed casino or slot machine facility may not be issued a license unless it has been 
approved by a statewide referendum vote and a vote of the municipal officers or 
municipality in which the casino or slot machine facility is to be located, except that a 
commercial track licensed to operate slot machines on January 1, 2011 is only required, 
as a condition to obtain a casino license, to receive approval to operate a casino by means 
of a referendum of the voters of the county in which the commercial track is located.  A 
casino operated by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians is exempt from the 
requirements of this subsection. 
Sec. 3.  8 MRSA §1020, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2011, c. 585, §8, is 
further amended to read: 
A.  Except for slot machines used for training and educational purposes at 
postsecondary institutions as provided by section 1011, subsection 1-B, the total 
number of slot machines registered in the State may not exceed 3,000 4,500; and 
Sec. 4.  8 MRSA §1036, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 2011, c. 625, §§3 and 4 
and c. 657, Pt. W, §5, is further amended to read: 
2-A.  Distribution from casino of slot machine income.  A casino operator shall 
collect and distribute 46% of the net slot machine income from slot machines operated by 
the casino operator to the board for distribution by the board as follows: 
A.  Twenty-five percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded directly 
by the board to the Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Department 
of Education, to be used to supplement and not to supplant funding for essential 
programs and services for kindergarten to grade 12 under Title 20-A, chapter 606-B; 
B.  Four percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to 
the University of Maine System Scholarship Fund created in Title 20-A, section 
10909; 
C.  Three percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to 
the Board of Trustees of the Maine Community College System to be applied by the 
board of trustees to fund its scholarships program under Title 20-A, section 12716, 
subsection 1; 
D.  Four percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to 
the Treasurer of State, who shall distribute the funds to the tribal governments of the 
Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe; 
E.  Three percent of the net slot machine income must be deposited to the General 
Fund for administrative expenses of the board, including gambling addiction 
counseling services, in accordance with rules adopted by the board; 
F.  Two percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded directly to the 
municipality in which the casino is located; 
G.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the 
Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Agricultural Fair Support Fund 
established in Title 7, section 91; 
H.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the 
Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the fund established in section 298 
to supplement harness racing purses; 
I.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be credited by the board to the 
Sire Stakes Fund created in section 281; 
J.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded directly to the 
county in which the casino is located to pay for mitigation of costs resulting from 
gaming operations;  
K.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the 
Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Maine Milk Pool, Other Special 
Revenue Funds account within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry to help fund dairy farm stabilization pursuant to Title 7, sections 3153-B and 
3153-D.  This paragraph is repealed July 1, 2013; 
L.  Beginning July 1, 2013, 1/2 of 1% of the net slot machine income must be 
forwarded by the board to the Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the 
Maine Milk Pool, Other Special Revenue Funds account within the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to help fund dairy farm stabilization pursuant 
to Title 7, sections 3153-B and 3153-D; and 
M.  Beginning July 1, 2013, 1/2 of 1% of the net slot machine income must be 
forwarded by the board to the Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the 
Dairy Improvement Fund established under Title 10, section 1023-P. 
If a recipient of net slot machine income in paragraph D, H or I owns or receives funds 
from a slot machine facility or casino, other than the casino in Oxford County, a casino 
operated by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians or the slot machine facility in Bangor, 
then the recipient may not receive funds under this subsection, and those funds must be 
retained by the Oxford County casino operator or the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. 
Sec. 5.  8 MRSA §1036, sub-§2-B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 417, §9, is further 
amended to read: 
2-B.  Distribution from casino of table game income.  A casino operator licensed 
in accordance with section 1011, subsection 2-A, paragraph A or section 1011, subsection 
2-C shall collect and distribute 16% of the net table game income from table games 
operated by the casino operator to the board for distribution by the board as follows: 
A.  Ten percent of the net table game income must be forwarded directly by the board 
to the Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Department of Education, 
to be used to supplement and not to supplant funding for essential programs and 
services for kindergarten to grade 12 under Title 20-A, chapter 606-B; 
B.  Three percent of the net table game income must be deposited to the Gambling 
Control Board administrative expenses Other Special Revenue Funds account, which 
is a nonlapsing dedicated account; 
C.  Two percent of the net table game income must be forwarded directly to the 
municipality in which the table games are located; and 
D.  One percent of the net table game income must be forwarded directly to the 
county in which the table games are located to pay for mitigation of costs resulting 
from gaming operations. 
SUMMARY 
This bill authorizes the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Board to 
accept an application for a casino operator license to operate slot machines and table 
games at a casino on the North Road property of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in 
the Town of Houlton from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.  A casino operated by 
the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians would not be required to be approved at 
referendum.  The bill raises the limit on the number of slot machines allowed in the State 
to accommodate the casino operated by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.  A casino 
operated by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians would be subject to the oversight of 
the Gambling Control Board and subject to the same laws and rules as currently licensed 
casinos.