Gaming briefs for July 27, 2004

Tuesday, July 27, 2004 | 11:02 a.m.

Maine retailers expect strong sales with new game

LEWISTON, Maine -- Retailers are preparing for long lines and strong sales when Maine begins sales of Powerball lottery ticket sales at noon Friday.

At Victor News in Lewiston, owner Phil St. Pierre said Powerball will make his store and other lottery outlets a destination for people who now go to New Hampshire for tickets.

"It will create lines at the registers," St. Pierre said. "It's a whole new level of potential business for convenience stores across the state."

Dennis Bailey of the antigambling group Casinos No! said by joining Powerball, the state is "playing people for suckers."

"Your chances are far greater that you'll find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," he said.

Maine will become the 27th state, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, in the Powerball lottery.

Powerball has a strong appeal because of its large jackpots, which start at $10 million and have been known to run as high as $315 million, said Pam Coutts, director of the state Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations.

Tribe gives $10 million to proposition effort

LOS ANGELES -- The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has contributed $10 million to a gambling initiative, so far the single largest donation to the November ballot measure.

The tribe is supporting Proposition 70, which would require casino-owning tribes to pay about 8.8 percent of their net gambling income to the state.

In return, they would be allowed to operate as many slot machines as they choose beyond the 2,000 limit and also could offer games currently banned in California, including roulette and craps.

"As our attempts to have a conversation with the governor have not come to fruition and with our renegotiation efforts in a stalemate, supporting Proposition 70 is a viable option," tribal Chairman Deron Marquez said in a statement.

The governor wants to defeat Proposition 70 and a separate gambling measure, saying both threaten to harm his ongoing talks with tribes to share casino profits with the state in exchange for expanded gambling rights.