Maine lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a tribal-rights compromise bill that would deal casinos into a new sports betting market but was still opposed by the Bangor casino, which argued it would be boxed out of a large share of revenue.
The Democratic governor took office in 2019 with a promise to improve state-tribal relations, but she has opposed most of a sweeping overhaul of a 1980 land-claims settlement that would give tribes control over natural resources, taxation and other policy areas on their lands.
On Tuesday, a legislative panel advanced a version of that more sweeping change. But a narrower package brokered by Mills and the tribes is more likely to pass this year, though differences in where the casinos would be able to take bets was a sticking point on Wednesday.