Currently, the regulation of gambling activities in Maine is in the hands of the Maine Gambling Control Unit. An ongoing goal for the agency is to oversee gambling activities across the state, providing effective, efficient and consistent regulation.
As such, the authority constantly monitors the activities of land-based casinos. Online betting, which launched in November, is also scrutinized by the Maine Gambling Control Unit.
While the constant monitoring of casino operators was among the requirements set by Maine’s residents when they approved such activities, internal changes to the gambling regulator’s policies may result in more lax control.
This is according to a recently released report by WGME, which highlights the concern of one gambling inspector who complained about the actions of their boss who allegedly created a hostile work environment and implemented changes to the monitoring schedules for the inspectors.
Gayle Craig currently holds the role of a gambling inspector for Bangor’s Hollywood Slots and Casino. She is a subordinate of the Maine Gambling Control Unit’s director, Milton Champion. According to the recent report, Craig complained that her boss retaliated after she raised different concerns.
Decreasing the Monitoring Frequency as a Result of the Changes
The gambling inspector said that she and the other inspectors’ schedules changed from 10 hours for four days to eight hours for five days. But Craig’s main concern is that the changes in schedule deprived the casinos across Maine of 24/7 monitoring, something which was a standard practice before.
In the words of the gambling inspector: “Removing us two days a week is really impacting the casinos, and as far as I’m concerned the public would be interested because when people voted to bring casinos into Maine they voted for strict oversight and he’s removing it.”
Craig explained that the aforementioned change in the inspectors’ schedule means that there won’t be a representative of the gambling regulator in the late hours. Moreover, she warned that the changes mean that there won’t be a casino inspector present on Sundays and Mondays.
Michael Sauschuck, a commissioner with the Department of Public Safety, supported the change made by the gambling regulator’s boss. Sauschuck spoke in defense of the gambling regulator’s boss during a meeting earlier this week.
The recent report did not reveal what concerns the gambling inspectors raised with their boss. It is yet to be seen how the sector or gambling addiction groups will react to the change.
