Maine voters are once again being asked to approve a casino.
This time the casino would be built in Oxford County, where backers of the plan are proposing putting a 125-room hotel and casino with 20 games and 1,200 slot machines.
While proponents are touting the potential economic benefits of the casino and hotel, along with the funding it would generate for programs throughout the state, the wording of the question has caused even some lawmakers who support a casino to oppose this particular proposal.
The ballot question, which was a citizens’ initiative, asks voters, “Do you want to allow a certain Maine company to have the only casino in Maine, to be located in Oxford County, if part of the revenue is used to fund specific state programs?”
“The way this referendum is written I would never support that,” said state Rep. Don Marean(R-Hollis), who also said he is not opposed to a casino in Maine.
Marean argues that the wording of the referendum that allows the Oxford County casino owner to have a 10-year monopoly on casinos is unfair. He believes if the state allows a casino in Oxford County, other counties should be able to consider it as an option as well.
Casinos in Maine have been a hot topic since voters rejected a casino proposal in Sanford during the 2003 election. Since then, Hollywood Slots has opened in Bangor. However, the Oxford County plan would be a full casino with gaming tables in addition to slot machines.
The casino would be limited to 1,500 slot machines and would be open to anyone 19 and older.
The Olympia Group, a privately held company that specializes in land development for retail centers and residential communities, recently purchased majority ownership in Evergreen Mountain Enterprises from Seth Carey, a Rumford lawyer who initiated the casino campaign. The Olympia Group operates nine casinos in Nevada.
While the wording of the casino referendum has raised questions, state lawmakers are also in disagreement about the benefits a casino would bring to Maine.
“I think, in general, it’s not a good economic development tool,” said state Sen. Phil Bartlett (D-Gorham). “What you end up doing is shifting a lot of resources straight from Maine to Atlantic City or Las Vegas.”
Marean said he favors a casino if it is close to I-95 and to the New Hampshire border. This would enable people to have easy access to the facility and wouldn’t damage Maine’s infrastructure, he said.
“If we have a casino in Maine with the right access and right location, I don’t have a problem with that,” he said.
If voters approve the casino, which is Question 2 on the state ballot, the legislation requires that 39 percent of the total gross gaming income be distributed to a long list of state agencies and programs. An additional 2 percent would go to the town where the casino is located and 1 percent would go to Oxford County.
In addition to the casino, the hotel would include 15,000 square feet of meeting space, an indoor pool, restaurants, and a sports bar.
Officials with the Olympia Group said a casino in Oxford County would generate about 1,277 new jobs during the construction phase and 907 full-time and part-time jobs when the casino is operating.
In addition to jobs, the casino would have a payroll of about $32.5 million and earn $164.1 million in annual revenues. Nearly $69 million in additional revenue would be paid to Maine each year, Olympia officials said.
“I think it certainly has great potential,” said Dean Harrold, president of Olympia Group. “It’s a true resort that will be built in the county and any true resort has variables and moving parts that will bring in a lot of travel, conventions and trade shows.”
Harrold also said a casino would attract about 54 percent of its clients from outside of Maine.
Opponents, including Casinos NO!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting gambling expansion in Maine, have opposed several specific provisions in the legislation.
One of them is the provision that would lower the minimum age to play slot machines or games from 21 to 19. Another would allow 18-year-olds to work in a casino.
And, a third provision would require that the president of the company owning the casino be appointed a voting member of the governing body or board, if any, of each of the 22 recipients or programs that would share in the casino’s revenue.
Phil Csoros, a Gorham Town Councilor who is running against Bartlett for the District 6 Senate seat, said casinos in Maine are not the answer to the state’s economic problems. His recommendation is to lower taxes on small businesses to attract “viable” businesses to the state.
“The state would be bearing the costs in social services and broken homes” of a casino, Csoros said. “Maine is an outdoor state. It is a family recreational state where you can come and canoe, fish, bike and hike. If you want to gamble, you can get on Southwest Airlines for $69 and get to Las Vegas.”
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