AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul says that his administration won’t move forward with its plan to introduce keno in Maine this year.

LePage said in a statement on Tuesday that “now is not the time to have another debate over gambling.”

The administration had planned to roll out the game at retailers like bars and restaurants this spring. By 2021, it said that as many as 300 sites would have offered keno.

But some lawmakers said that the Legislature should get to weigh in on such a significant expansion on gambling. The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee reviewed a bill on Monday that would have blocked the administration’s plan keno plan.

LePage said that lawmakers could have avoided this debate if they had brought their concerns to his administration.