Maine casino inspectors have signed a letter expressing no confidence in the head of the state’s gambling control unit, saying they have been subject to a toxic work environment and questioning the unit’s ability to properly regulate casinos under his leadership.
The letter was made public Wednesday with a statement in which the union representing the inspectors took aim at Maine Gambling Control Unit Executive Director Milton Champion. The union said all nine casino inspectors that work for the state signed the letter.
“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 states.
Milton Champion, head of Maine’s Gambling Control Unit, speaks to reporters in Jan. 2023, in Augusta. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press, file
Champion did not respond to an email or a phone message left at the Gambling Control Unit Wednesday. The unit is a bureau of the Maine Department of Public Safety, and Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the department, said Wednesday afternoon that the department had not received the letter. “If we do, we’ll review it,” Moss said.
The letter isn’t addressed to anyone in particular. Frankie St. Amand, a representative for the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, said the letter’s primary target is state lawmakers and other stakeholders, as well as the Maine Gambling Control Board and the department, which St. Amand said is already aware of the issues the letter raises.
She said the inspectors are calling for Champion’s removal. “They do not think he is able to competently lead the department,” St. Amand said.
The inspectors who signed the letter work at the Oxford Casino in Oxford and the Hollywood Casino in Bangor. They say Champion, who has served as executive director since 2016, “has actively demonstrated an eagerness to deregulate casinos in Maine without input from the voting public and with little-to-no guidance to our casino partners on how to conduct business.”
In addition, they said Champion has circumvented the oversight of the Maine Gambling Control Board by making unilateral decisions.
And they said they have pending grievances filed over Champion’s refusal to pay them correctly, retaliation and violations of their collective bargaining with the state. They said Champion has refused to continue negotiations around changes affecting schedules and pay.
“This inaction has eroded trust between employees and the department and has emboldened Milton Champion to continue the toxic work environment he has created,” the letter said.
The union’s news release highlighted schedule changes that it said prevent the inspectors from inspecting Maine’s casinos on Sundays and Mondays.
“Mr. Champion is not listening or hearing (inspectors’) concerns about the schedule changes that have left Maine’s casinos without any oversight on Sundays and Mondays,” Mark Brunton, president of Local 1989, said in the statement.
“Casino gambling in Maine 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.”
Steven Silver, chair of the Gambling Control Board, which oversees the regulation of table games and slot machines at casinos and the operation of advance deposit wagering, said in an interview that he saw the letter Wednesday morning.
Silver said the board has been working for months to try and rectify issues with the schedule change. He said board rules specifically require an on-site inspector to respond to certain things, such as large jackpot payouts and shipments of new machines. He said the board wasn’t involved in the change but that it prompted the casinos to come to them seeking guidance.
Silver said he has concerns about the decision-making that went into the schedule change, but he didn’t know if the change was made unilaterally by Champion or if it was something that would require union negotiations.
“Up until now, from a purely operational standpoint, things have been running very smoothly and very profitably under Director Champion,” Silver said.
He said he has heard complaints about a hostile work environment and “employment issues,” but that personnel decisions rest with the Department of Public Safety and not the board. And he said he wasn’t sure what, if any, action the board might take in response to the letter.
“I don’t know what our options are,” Silver said. “I think we will consult with our counsel and see what, if anything, we can do, but I’m not sure what, other than passing some sort of resolution, we could do. In terms of real action, I don’t know what our options are yet.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills did not respond to a phone message or email Wednesday asking if Mills was aware of the letter and if she shares concerns about Champion as executive director.
The issues raised by the inspectors are not the first concerns that have come up about Champion’s leadership.
In May 2023, Champion was placed on leave following tweets he posted that contained sexist language and racist connotations.
In one tweet, Champion expressed frustration about being told “ladies” was an unprofessional term for women and suggested using an obscenity as a more appropriate alternative. In another, he replied to a video showing demonstrators with Patriot Front, a white nationalist group, marching in Washington, D.C., writing, “At least they are not burning down cities and looting stores.”
Champion was suspended for one week without pay for the tweets.