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

Maine’s main gambling regulator, Milton Champion, is facing a mutiny 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.”

An open letter signed by all nine of Champion's inspectors was released on Wednesday by the public services union MSEA-SEIU Local 1989. Champion, the executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit since 2016, is not regarded favorably in the letter.

In a press statement that goes along with it, Local 1989 states that the inspectors are unable to supervise the state's two casinos, Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino Bangor, on Sundays and Mondays due to recently implemented changes to work schedules.

“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.”

 

"Destroying the Board"

Because the Maine Gambling Control Board has rejected Champion's proposals in the past, the inspectors allege in their letter that Champion "does not respect" its monitoring.

"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 assert that the Maine Gambling Control Unit's ability to oversee casino gambling has been irreversibly impaired by the fact that "many of these decisions make very little sense, are based on false data."

Other complaints center on Champion's purported inability to “properly compensate” his inspectors for their work and his unwillingness to address any of the aforementioned concerns.

“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 Error

At the time of publication, Champion has not reacted to a request for comment regarding the letter from Casino.org. The Portland Press Herald was informed by Steven Silver, the chair of the Maine Gambling Control Board, that "under Director Champion, things have been running very smoothly and very profitably from a purely operational standpoint."

Silver also said he had concerns about the decision-making process involved in the timetable adjustment and that he was aware of complaints regarding a hostile work environment.

Champion has previously found himself in a precarious circumstance. He was put on administrative leave in May 2024 for using a sexist insult in one of his tweets and maybe endorsing a white supremacist march in another.

In response to a commenter who felt it was improper to refer to a group of women as "ladies," the regulator responded on May 6 of that year.

“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.”

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