BestCraps.com

Maine Voters Approve Oxford Casino Proposal

Posted on November 4th, 2010

News Sponsored by Online Vegas Casino

Rated 5 Stars by BestCraps.com

Read Review

Visit Casino

Download Software

————————————————

After much campaigning, money funneled into pro and anti camps, and poll results showing a virtual dead heat, the voters of the state of Maine have finally spoken. Their decision, by a very narrow margin, was to grant approval to the first full-blown casino in the state. The difference of this new casino with the other casino that was approved 6 years ago is that the newly-approved one will have table games and slot machines, while the one approved in 2004 is restricted by law to only host slot machines. Bangor’s Hollywood Slots only has 1,000 slot machines and no table games. As of press time, 97 percent of precincts have reported their results, which is a bit over 50 percent of voters in the elections of November 2. Tuesday’s election saw the electorate favoring a casino to be constructed in Oxord, a town located in western Maine.

A four-season resort casino with a price tag of $165 million will be built by Black Bear Entertainment LLC. The company explains that with the voters accepting the plan, thousands of jobs will be supported, tens of millions of dollars will be funneled into the economy and more than $60 million in tax revenue will be raised. The crusade of casino opponents, which was anchored on the casino being a drain of money and jobs in the local economy, with additional dangers such as an increase in crime and addictive behavior, was close to victory but ultimately lost.

One voter who voted against the referendum, MaryBeth Pierce, a stay-at-home mom in Portland, said that she liked the fact that casinos were not that close to home, so that fewer people would be tempted to lose a lot of money in one casino trip, which she said is bound to happen more often with a casino nearby. She explained, “The thing about the casino is, I just think that there’s got to be a better way to get jobs into the state. While it may be great for the families that take the jobs, but there also are families that will be hurt because … others will decide to blow their money at the casino and not make responsible decisions.” Meanwhile, a number of casino supporters participated in the elections mainly to push their stand. An example is Robert Pierce Sr., a senior citizen from Augusta. He said, “I’m not a big gambler, but I think it’s good for the state. It is good for the jobs.”

This is only the second time in six occasions that the pro-casino camp tasted victory. All other referenda were in favor of the anti-casino camp, including the last two ones before Tuesday’s. In 2007, Mainers also refused a referendum that proposed a casino with slots and table games. It was proposed to be built in the eastern portion of the state. The next year, a casino plan was also rejected, this time for a facility to be built in Oxford. The current economic situation and high unemployment figures seemed to work for the supporters of the referendum. Black Bear Entertainment, which is made of a group of business owners based locally, said that a number of potential sites have already been identified near the Route 26 area, but as of the moment, exact locations have not been disclosed.

In the town of Oxford of Oxford itself, 1,324 voters threw their support to the casino, with only nearly half of that figure, 651 voters said no. Polly’s Variety in Oxford, located in the Route 26 area, has people celebrating with the result. Almost everyone in the area, including people who operate businesses, feel that a casino in their vicinity would perk up business. The town is hoping for any source of renewed hope, especially with more than 1,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector lost over the recent years. With this casino proposal, Black Bear Entertainment expects to give 2,700 jobs to Maine residents plus 800 more jobs for the casino’s construction. Several anti-casino groups like Citizens Against the Oxford Casino, despite their loss, still demands that the Legislature take a closer look at the plan and make alterations on some restrictions and taxation practices it considers unfair.