The Wabanaki Nations are jumping into the legal fray over Maine’s internet gambling law.
The Oxford Casino sued the state in January, contending that the new law granting tribal nations the exclusive right to operate online casino games was an illegal “race-based monopoly.”
All four Wabanaki tribes — the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation — filed a joint motion to intervene in the lawsuit Wednesday evening. A judge granted their request Thursday.
Gov. Janet Mills allowed the bill to become law without her signature on Jan. 8, giving in to the tribes’ lobbying despite her lingering hesitations and the opposition of several state agencies.
