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Maine Casino Proponents Explain Side

Posted on October 25th, 2010

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As with all other states, Maine is at the crossroads of allowing the operation a casino in their area. Residents and officials have been weighing the pros and cons of such an action. On one hand, there is the increase in state revenue along with thousands of employment opportunities to be made available to the residents. On the other hand, there would also be an increase in social concerns like alcohol abuse, drug use, increased incidences of crime, and bankruptcies and other personal finance issues. These two sides, will be what voters of the state will be considering on November 2. To be decided by the residents is whether they will allow a casino worth $165 million to be built in Oxford, a small town located in the western part of the state. This issue will be Question 1 of the flip side of the ballot, and if voters allow this, a law with 14 pages will take effect. This law will be governing anything from the casino’s size, location, finance and what activities will be allowed.

This referendum will actually be the fourth time that residents decide on the fate of a casino proposal. The first one was done in 2003 when a proposal to construct a facility in York County was passed to be decided by the people. Another proposal for a casino to be built in the same town was proposed five years later. Both measures were rejected by the voters. So far, the only measure that passed was the proposal to build a casino in Bangor, which eventually became the Hollywood Casino Bangor. Robert W. Lally, Black Bear Entertainment representative, said that this fourth referendum will be different. Black Bear Entertainment is the group investing in the proposed casino. Lally is also the treasurer of a group that was organized to support the casino, Maine Taxpayers Taking Charge.

According to Lally, the primary difference will be that the investors of this Oxford County project are from Maine. Aside from Lally, the investing group also has Stephen Barber, a former president of Portland-based Barber Foods; Jim Boldebook, founder of a Biddeford-based automobile advertising agency; Bob Bahre, a former owner of speedways in the state and the Grovers – Suzanne and Rupert, who founded Grover Gundrilling based in Norway, ME. Lally explained, “We are Maine businessmen and women. I think there’s a fear that everything’s going out of state. Maine citizens are so used to seeing large, out-of-state companies from Vegas coming in. All of us involved in this are in long-term Maine businesses. We work here. We’re not going to flip and run.”

The proposed $165 million resort casino of Lally’s group will be built on the outskirts of Oxford, along Route 26 near South Paris and the Sunday River Ski Resort. Oxford County, despite being picturesque and unspoiled is also one of the poorest counties of the state, with close to 1a 0 percent unemployment percentage. UMaine economics professor Todd Gabe has done a study on the casino, which was partly funded by Maine Taxpayers Taking Charge. According to the study, the casino is expected to generate $126.7 million in yearly gaming revenue. Of this amount, $60 million is expected to be funneled to the state as taxes and fees. What Lally is more excited for is that the casino will generate more or less 2,800 jobs. 1,000 of these jobs will not exactly be provided by the gambling facility itself, but by the area businesses around the state that will be in a contract with the casino.

Lally could not contain his excitement in his explanation, “The most exciting thing for me is the jobs. People will be hired at every level, not only on the floor but in management, advertising, marketing, security. If you look at this and use common sense, they’re going to be spending money in the community as well.” With the law that will take effect should Question 1 be approved, 46 percent of all slot machines net revenue will be given to the Gambling Control Board of Maine. The board will then forward 25 percent of the money to the development of programs for schools and education in the state.