The backers of a proposed racino in Biddeford filed more than 76,000 signatures with the state Wednesday for a citizens’ initiative that would allow the proposal and a similar one in Washington County to move forward.

The initiative aims to change provisions of Maine’s gambling law that now prevent the projects from being built.

Biddeford Downs, a partnership between Scarborough Downs and Ocean Properties Ltd., plans a $125 million racino west of the Maine Turnpike in Biddeford. The city’s voters approved the project in November.

State law allowed certain commercial harness racetracks — Scarborough Downs and Bangor Raceway — to seek local approval to operate slot machines, but imposed a deadline of Dec. 31, 2003, for them to do so.

Also blocking the plan for a racino in Biddeford is the Oxford County casino initiative approved by Maine voters in November. That initiative, now state law, prohibits other gambling operations within a 100-mile radius of the casino in Oxford.

Supporters of the racino in Biddeford have formed a political partnership with the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. The Biddeford group has included in its initiative a provision to allow the tribe to build a racino in Calais, on land overlooking the International Bridge and the St. Croix River.

A citizens’ initiative needs at least 57,277 signatures from registered Maine voters to qualify for the ballot. The Secretary of State’s Office has 30 days to verify the signatures.

The deadline to file signatures with the Secretary of State’s Office for November’s ballot is 5 p.m. today.

Last month, supporters of a casino in Lewiston filed more than 69,000 signatures for a citizens’ initiative to allow a casino in that city.

Backers of the Biddeford racino and the Lewiston casino say they still plan to ask the Legislature to amend state law to allow their projects to go forward.

Tom Walsh, founder of Ocean Properties, said in a prepared statement that his group hopes the Legislature will “correct an apparent inequity” in the deadline for local approval of racinos.

Dennis Bailey, executive director of Casinos No!, said the citizens’ initiatives tie the hands of the Legislature because they must go to the ballot unless the Legislature passes them as written.

He said he doesn’t believe that voters want Maine to have so many gambling operations, but investors keep pushing to build more because they are so profitable.

“It’s become a free-for-all,” he said.

 

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 699-6261 or at:

tbell@mainetoday.com