Maine Chief Regulator Facing ‘No Confidence’ Revolt by Casino Inspectors

Posted on: September 5, 2024, 06:27h. 

Last updated on: September 6, 2024, 09:32h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Maine’s chief gambling regulator, Milton Champion, is facing a rebellion from his casino inspectors who accuse him of unilaterally “deregulating casinos … without input from the voting public” and of creating a “deeply dysfunctional and toxic workplace environment.”

Milton Champion, Maine Gambling Control Unit, Maine Gambling Control Board, casino inspectors, Oxford Casino, Hollywood Casino Bangor, MSEA-SEIU Local 1989
Milton Champion, above, is accused of creating a “toxic workplace environment” in a letter signed by all nine of his casino inspectors. They say they have no confidence in his ability to regulate gambling in Maine. (Image: Maine Public Radio)

All nine inspectors under Champion’s control signed an open letter published Wednesday by the MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 public services union. The letter expresses no confidence in Champion, who has been executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit since 2016.

An accompanying press release by Local 1989 notes that recently enacted changes to working schedules are preventing the inspectors from overseeing the state’s two casinos, the Oxford Casino and the Hollywood Casino Bangor, on Sundays and Mondays.

“Casino gambling … was a highly contentious issue in Maine in 2003 when it was passed by voters and legalized,” Mark Brunton, president of Local 1989, said in a statement. “One of the concerns was to make sure it was well-regulated to protect the citizens of Maine. That’s the important role that our inspectors play. They need to be on the job whenever the casinos are open.”

‘Undermining the Board’

?The inspectors’ letter claims that Champion “does not respect” the oversight of the Maine Gambling Control Board because it has denied his proposals in the past.

Now, rather than subject himself to the checks and balances of the Board’s oversight function, Milton Champion is circumventing the Board altogether by making unilateral decisions that completely undermine the Board’s ability to oversee gambling matters in Maine.”

The inspectors claim that “many of these decisions make very little sense, are based on false data, and have irreparably harmed the Maine Gambling Control Unit’s ability to regulate casino gambling.”

Additional grievances include Champion’s alleged failure to “correctly pay” his inspectors for services rendered and refusal to discuss all of the above issues.

“We must make it known that Milton Champion has repeatedly shown a lack of respect for our legal rights and processes spelled out in our union contract, has retaliated against us individually and as a group, and has created a deeply dysfunctional and toxic workplace environment,” the letter states.

Champion Blunder

Champion hadn’t responded to a request for comment on the letter from Casino.org at the time of publication. However, Steven Silver, chair of the Maine Gambling Control Board, told The Portland Press Herald that “from a purely operational standpoint, things have been running very smoothly and very profitably under Director Champion.”

Silver also acknowledged he was aware of complaints about a hostile work environment and had concerns over the decision-making that went into the schedule change.

This is not the first time Champion has found himself in a sticky situation. In May 2024, he was placed on administrative leave over a tweet that used a sexist pejorative and another that could be perceived as supporting a white nationalist march.

On May 6 of that year, the regulator replied to a poster’s opinion that referring to a group of women as “ladies” was inappropriate.

“In this day and age, I guess ‘bitches’ is better,” he suggested.

Then, just over a week later, he reacted to images of a white nationalist march on the US Capitol with: “At least they are not burning down or looting stores.”