Maine voters have rejected a $184 million casino and resort for Oxford County, despite a heavy campaign from project supporters.
As of Wednesday noon, opposition to the casino was holding at 55 percent statewide, though official numbers had not been released.
This was the second time Mainers rejected a casino. A proposal to build a casino in Sanford was defeated in 2003.
Dennis Bailey, a spokesman for Casinos NO!, said he hopes this vote signals the end of groups trying to put casinos in Maine.
“I think that Maine people made up their minds about casinos,” he said. “I hope people wanting to put casinos in Maine see this as a final verdict and just go away.”
The Olympia Group planned to build a casino and resort with a 300-room hotel, and 1,500 slot machines and 20 gaming tables.
The privately held company, which 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.
Pat LaMarche, spokeswoman for the Olympia Group, seemed resigned to the results Wednesday afternoon.
“I think, unfortunately, we have a governor who vetoes everything, and it makes it difficult to get initiatives such as this passed,” she said. “I think we’re likely to see a casino in New Hampshire, and their Legislature doesn’t make it as difficult.”
The ballot question, which was a citizens’ initiative, asked 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?”
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 was operating.
“It would bring in a lot of jobs,” said Andrew Darling, who voted in Gray Tuesday morning. “It would get back some of them lost in the building industry.”
Others at the polls said a casino was a quick-fix and Maine needed to invest in sustainable, economic development.
“I think it would bring in a lot of crime,” said Susan Haines of Gorham, who voted no Tuesday morning. “Maine has many beautiful natural resources, and we don’t need to be a casino state.”
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