AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday vetoed the latest effort to allow Maine tribes to run gaming businesses on their land, likely dooming a bill that came from the sidelines of a sovereignty push largely resisted by the state.
State law effectively requires anyone looking to establish a casino to put a ballot question to voters. Tribes here have argued for years they should be allowed to conduct gambling the same way other federally recognized tribes do under federal law, but a 1980 land-claims settlement between Maine, the federal government and tribes exempts them from that provision.
A recent bill from Rep. Benjamin Collings, D-Portland, would allow the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy tribes and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to conduct gaming operations while requiring the tribes to negotiate casino operations and revenue sharing with the…
