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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
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.
Page 1 - 132LR2166(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 8 MRSA §1036, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2015, c. 493, §4, is further
3 amended to read:
42. Distribution of net slot machine income from casino with commercial track. A
5 slot machine operator licensed under section 1011, subsection 2 or a casino operator that is
6 a commercial track that was licensed to operate slot machines under section 1011,
7 subsection 2 on January 1, 2011 shall collect and distribute 39% 46% of the net slot
8 machine income from slot machines operated by the slot machine operator to the board for
9 distribution by the board as follows:
10 A. Three percent of the net slot machine income must be deposited to the General
11 Fund for administrative expenses of the board in accordance with rules adopted by the
12 board, except that of the amount calculated pursuant to this paragraph, the following
13 amounts must be transferred annually to the Gambling Addiction Prevention and
14 Treatment Fund established by Title 5, section 20006‑B:
15 (1) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, $50,000;
16 (2) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012, $50,000; and
17 (3) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 and for each fiscal year thereafter,
18 $100,000;
19 B. Ten percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
20 Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the fund established in section 298 to
21 supplement harness racing purses;
22 C. Three percent of the net slot machine income must be credited by the board to the
23 Sire Stakes Fund created in section 281;
24 D. Three percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to
25 the Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Agricultural Fair Support Fund
26 established in Title 7, section 91;
27 E. Ten percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
28 State Controller and except as otherwise provided in this paragraph credited to the Fund
29 for a Healthy Maine established by Title 22, section 1511 and segregated into a separate
30 account under Title 22, section 1511, subsection 11, with the use of funds in the account
31 restricted to the purposes described in Title 22, section 1511, subsection 6, paragraph
32 E. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2012, the
33 amount credited annually by the State Controller to the Fund for a Healthy Maine under
34 this paragraph may not exceed $4,500,000 annually and any funds in excess of
35 $4,500,000 annually during these fiscal years must be credited as General Fund
36 undedicated revenue, and, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the amount credited
37 by the State Controller to the Fund for a Healthy Maine under this paragraph is $0;
38 F. Two percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
39 University of Maine System Scholarship Fund created in Title 20‑A, section 10909 and
40 to the Board of Trustees of the Maine Maritime Academy to be applied by the board
41 of trustees to fund its scholarship program. The slot machine income under this
42 paragraph must be distributed as follows:
Page 2 - 132LR2166(01)
1 (1) The University of Maine System share is the total amount of the distribution
2 multiplied by the ratio of enrolled students in the system to the total number of
3 enrolled students both in the system and at the Maine Maritime Academy; and
4 (2) The Maine Maritime Academy share is the total amount of the distribution
5 multiplied by the ratio of enrolled students at the academy to the total number of
6 enrolled students both in the system and at the academy;
7 G. One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
8 board of trustees of the Maine Community College System to be applied by the board
9 of trustees to fund its scholarships program under Title 20‑A, section 12716, subsection
10 1;
11 H. Four percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
12 Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Fund to Encourage Racing at
13 Maine's Commercial Tracks, established in section 299;
14 I. Two percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to the
15 Treasurer of State, who shall credit the money to the Fund to Stabilize Off-track Betting
16 Facilities established by section 300, as long as a facility has conducted off-track
17 wagering operations for a minimum of 250 days during the preceding 12-month period
18 in which the first payment to the fund is required. After 48 months of receiving an
19 allocation of the net slot machine income from a licensed operator, the percent of net
20 slot machine income forwarded to the Fund to Stabilize Off-track Betting Facilities is
21 reduced to 1% with the remaining 1% to be forwarded to the State in accordance with
22 subsection 1; and
23 J. One percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded directly to the
24 municipality in which the slot machines are located. ; and
25 K. Seven percent of the net slot machine income must be forwarded by the board to
26 the Treasurer of State, who shall distribute the funds to the tribal governments of the
27 Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi'kmaq Nation.
28SUMMARY
29 This bill makes changes to the laws related to the distribution of slot machine revenues
30 generated in the State by a casino with a commercial track licensed to operate slot
31 machines. The bill increases the total net slot machine income to be collected and
32 distributed by a casino with a commercial track licensed to operate slot machines from
33 39% to 46% and provides for the distribution of the additional 7% of net slot machine
34 income to the tribal governments of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi'kmaq
35 Nation.
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