Maine’s chief gambling regulator, Milton Champion, faces a rebellion from his casino inspectors, who accuse him of unilaterally deregulating casinos without public input and creating a deeply dysfunctional and toxic workplace environment. Champion, executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit since 2016, is under fire from all nine inspectors under his control. They signed an open letter published Wednesday by the MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 public services union, expressing no confidence in his ability to regulate gambling in Maine.
An accompanying press release by Local 1989 highlights that recent changes to work schedules are preventing inspectors from overseeing the state’s two casinos, Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino Bangor, on Sundays and Mondays. Local 1989 president Mark Brunton emphasized the necessity of rigorous regulation, stating, “Casino gambling was a highly contentious issue in Maine in 2003 when it was passed by voters and legalized. 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.”
The inspectors’ letter alleges that Champion does not respect the oversight of the Maine Gambling Control Board, pointing to instances where his proposals were denied. “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 letter states. They claim that many of these decisions are senseless, based on false data, and have irreparably harmed the Maine Gambling Control Unit’s ability to regulate casino gambling.
Additional grievances include Champion’s alleged failure to correctly pay inspectors for their services and his refusal to discuss the issues at hand. “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 continues.
At the time of publication, Champion had not responded to a request for comment. However, Steven Silver, chair of the Maine Gambling Control Board, told The Portland Press Herald that “from a purely operational standpoint, things have been running very smoothly and very profitably under Director Champion.” Silver did acknowledge awareness of complaints about a hostile work environment and had concerns over the decision-making surrounding the schedule change.
This controversy is not new for Champion. In May 2024, he was placed on administrative leave over tweets using a sexist pejorative and another potentially supporting a white nationalist march. On May 6 that year, he responded to a poster’s opinion that calling a group of women “ladies” was inappropriate with, “In this day and age, I guess ‘bitches’ is better.” A little over a week later, he reacted to images of a white nationalist march on the U.S. Capitol with, “At least they are not burning down or looting stores.”