Maine’s casino inspectors take no-confidence vote in top gambling regulator

Maine’s casino inspectors said Wednesday they have cast a vote of no confidence in Gambling Control Unit Executive Director Milt Champion after months of tension tied to schedule changes and a “toxic work environment.”

Champion pulled the nine inspectors earlier this year from monitoring the state’s two casinos in Bangor and Oxford for irregular activity on Sundays and Mondays, and inspectors said the change removed holiday and overtime pay. Additionally, the state employee union has filed pending grievances that allege Champion has created a retaliatory environment.

The supervisor of casino inspectors was also placed on leave in August for undisclosed reasons. That has added to the friction between Champion and members of the Maine Gambling Control Unit Board , something that is rare across the state workforce.

The Maine Service Employees Association published Wednesday the letter of no confidence signed by all nine casino inspectors who have a combined 97 years of service. The letter reiterates the previously reported concerns and claims Champion and his team have refused to meet to continue bargaining negotiations over the recent changes affecting schedules and pay.

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 inspectors wrote, adding he has circumvented the board by making unilateral decisions.

“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,” the inspectors added.

Champion did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. But he has not yet received the letter from the union, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.

“If we do, we’ll review it,” she said.

Champion and Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck spoke at a Gambling Control Board meeting last week to explain the new schedules came with a monitoring system switch. Sauschuck said the state could make additional changes if it feels things are not working well. That still frustrated board members who noted Sundays are among the busier times for casinos.

Champion , who was hired in 2016 under former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, has also faced criticism from Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, over how Maine has yet to launch in-person sports betting at Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino two years after lawmakers approved it in a deal giving the Wabanaki Nations online control of the lucrative market .

Gayle Craig, an inspector at Hollywood Casino Bangor, said in an interview last week that she and the other inspectors make around $55,000 a year without overtime.

The schedule changes could shortchange customers if, for example, a machine malfunctions on a Sunday or Monday and does not pay back the correct amount of money until an inspector arrives on a Tuesday to fix the issue, added Craig, who has been on the job for seven years.

“It’s ripping off the public,” Craig said.