Maine’s chief gambling regulator, Milton Champion, is facing a revolt from his casino inspectors, who accuse him of unilaterally “deregulating casinos without input from the voting public” and fostering a “deeply dysfunctional and toxic workplace environment.”
All nine inspectors under Champion’s authority signed an open letter, published on Wednesday by the MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 public services union. The letter expresses a vote of no confidence in Champion, who has been the executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit since 2016.
A press release from Local 1989 notes that recent changes to work schedules are preventing inspectors from monitoring Maine’s two casinos, Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino Bangor, on Sundays and Mondays.
“Casino gambling was a highly contentious issue in Maine in 2003 when it was legalized by voters,” said Mark Brunton, president of Local 1989, in a statement. “One of the concerns was ensuring proper regulation to protect Maine citizens. That’s the crucial role of our inspectors, and they need to be on duty whenever the casinos are open.”
‘Undermining the Board’
The inspectors’ letter claims Champion “does not respect” the oversight of the Maine Gambling Control Board, which has rejected some of his past proposals.
“Instead of subjecting himself to the checks and balances of the Board, Milton Champion is now bypassing it by making unilateral decisions that undermine the Board’s authority to regulate gambling in Maine.”
The inspectors argue that “many of these decisions are illogical, based on inaccurate data, and have severely damaged the Gambling Control Unit’s ability to oversee casino gambling.”
Other complaints include Champion’s alleged failure to “properly compensate” inspectors for their work and his refusal to address these concerns.
The letter states, “We must make it clear that Milton Champion has consistently shown a lack of respect for our legal rights and procedures outlined in our union contract, has retaliated against us as individuals and as a group, and has fostered a deeply dysfunctional and toxic work environment.”
Champion’s Missteps
Champion had not responded to a request for comment 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 an operational perspective, things have been running smoothly and profitably under Director Champion.”
Silver also acknowledged he was aware of complaints regarding a hostile work environment and was concerned about the decision-making process behind the schedule changes.
This is not the first controversy involving Champion. In May 2024, he was placed on administrative leave after a tweet in which he used a sexist slur and another that appeared to support a white nationalist march.
On May 6, Champion responded to a post suggesting that referring to a group of women as “ladies” was inappropriate by saying, “In this day and age, I guess ‘bitches’ is better.”
Just over a week later, he reacted to images of a white nationalist march at the US Capitol, commenting, “At least they are not burning down or looting stores.”
