Maine’s sports betting headaches now go beyond convincing operators to sign a contract with state tribes that is less than profitable.
According to the Portland Press Herald, Milt Champions, the executive director of Maine’s Gaming Control Unit was placed on paid leave after some controversial posts were made on his Twitter account. The Portland Press Herald reported on Monday that Milt Champion, the Executive Director of Maine’s Gaming Control Unit, was placed on paid leave in the wake of some contentious posts he made to his personal Twitter account.
The Press Herald was informed by Lt. Thomas Pickering of the Maine State Police that “I am able to confirm that Director Champion is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation that the Bureau of Human Resources is conducting.” The department cannot comment on this matter because it is an ongoing personnel issue.
The Press Herald contacted the Gaming Control Unit regarding the tweets. Champion responded to one post by suggesting that “b *****”” might be a more acceptable term. The other appeared to show sympathy or support for the group marching in front of the US Capitol.
Since then, both tweets were deleted. The profile of Champion does state that the tweets are not representative of the position of the government.
Since 2016, Champion has worked with the Gaming Control Unit.
Maine’s setup could leave some operators on the sidelines. If you are interested in entering the state, you will have to partner up with a tribal group. The tribe will take at least half of your revenue. Taxes on an additional 10% of the revenue are paid to the state, leaving between 30% and 40% for the operators.
Maine has 1.3 million people, which isn’t the largest market. As the New Yorkdebate has shown, operators cannot make a profit with a tax system that takes a large chunk of their earnings. They are now reevaluating the need to have a presence in all markets in order to achieve profitability.
