An Act to Bring Parity Among the Wabanaki Nations Regarding the
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1851
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: MALON, TALBOT ROSS
Amends: 8 MRSA §1036

Legislative Document
No. 1851
H.P. 1235
House of Representatives, April 30, 2025
An Act to Bring Parity Among the Wabanaki Nations Regarding the 
Generation of Revenues from Gaming
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MALON of Biddeford.
Cosponsored by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  8 MRSA §1036, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2015, c. 493, §4, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Distribution of net slot machine income from casino with commercial track.  A 
slot machine operator licensed under section 1011, subsection 2 or a casino operator that is 
a commercial track that was licensed to operate slot machines under section 1011, 
subsection 2 on January 1, 2011 shall collect and distribute 39% 46% of the net slot 
machine income from slot machines operated by the slot machine operator to the board for 
distribution by the board as follows:
A.  Three percent of the net slot machine income must be deposited to the General 
Fund for administrative expenses of the board in accordance with rules adopted by the 
board, except that of the amount calculated pursuant to this paragraph, the following 
amounts must be transferred annually to the Gambling Addiction Prevention and 
Treatment Fund established by Title 5, section 20006‑B:
(1)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, $50,000;
(2)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012, $50,000; and
(3)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 and for each fiscal year thereafter, 
$100,000;
B.  Ten 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;
C.  Three percent of the net slot machine income must be credited by the board to the 
Sire Stakes Fund created in section 281;
D.  Three 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;
E.  Ten percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the 
State Controller and except as otherwise provided in this paragraph credited to the Fund 
for a Healthy Maine established by Title 22, section 1511 and segregated into a separate 
account under Title 22, section 1511, subsection 11, with the use of funds in the account 
restricted to the purposes described in Title 22, section 1511, subsection 6, paragraph 
E.  For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2012, the 
amount credited annually by the State Controller to the Fund for a Healthy Maine under 
this paragraph may not exceed $4,500,000 annually and any funds in excess of 
$4,500,000 annually during these fiscal years must be credited as General Fund 
undedicated revenue, and, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the amount credited 
by the State Controller to the Fund for a Healthy Maine under this paragraph is $0;
F.  Two 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 and 
to the Board of Trustees of the Maine Maritime Academy to be applied by the board 
of trustees to fund its scholarship program.  The slot machine income under this 
paragraph must be distributed as follows:
(1)  The University of Maine System share is the total amount of the distribution 
multiplied by the ratio of enrolled students in the system to the total number of 
enrolled students both in the system and at the Maine Maritime Academy; and
(2)  The Maine Maritime Academy share is the total amount of the distribution 
multiplied by the ratio of enrolled students at the academy to the total number of 
enrolled students both in the system and at the academy;
G.  One 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;
H.  Four 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 to Encourage Racing at 
Maine's Commercial Tracks, established in section 299;
I.  Two 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 to Stabilize Off-track Betting 
Facilities established by section 300, as long as a facility has conducted off-track 
wagering operations for a minimum of 250 days during the preceding 12-month period 
in which the first payment to the fund is required.  After 48 months of receiving an 
allocation of the net slot machine income from a licensed operator, the percent of net 
slot machine income forwarded to the Fund to Stabilize Off-track Betting Facilities is 
reduced to 1% with the remaining 1% to be forwarded to the State in accordance with 
subsection 1; and
J.  One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded directly to the 
municipality in which the slot machines are located.; and
K.  Seven 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 
Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi'kmaq Nation.
SUMMARY
This bill makes changes to the laws related to the distribution of slot machine revenues 
generated in the State by a casino with a commercial track licensed to operate slot 
machines. The bill increases the total net slot machine income to be collected and 
distributed by a casino with a  commercial track licensed to operate slot machines from 
39% to 46% and provides for the distribution of the additional 7% of net slot machine 
income to the tribal governments of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi'kmaq 
Nation.