A new group has formed to oppose a November ballot question that would legalize a casino in Oxford County.
Citizens Against the Oxford Casino includes Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, the Maine Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association, the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association and the Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau, according to a statement released Monday.
“Proponents of Question 1 will talk about the promise of jobs and investment, but when you closely look at the proposal, the cons far outweigh the pros,” group spokesman Dan Cashman said in the statement.
The group includes businesses and organizations that could compete with such an enterprise in Oxford County — either directly or indirectly.
law, gambling income from Hollywood Slots goes to a number of different groups.
Of its net proceeds, 39 percent goes to the state, generating some $17 million in 2008.
More than half of the proceeds received by the state goes to harness racing purse supplements; the Sire Stakes Fund; agricultural fairs; and the promotion or stabilization of harness racing tracks and off-track betting facilities.
Eighteen percent of the proceeds received by the state go to Maine’s general fund, the Fund for a Healthy Maine; scholarships to Maine’s public colleges and universities; and the city of Bangor.
Supporters of the casino proposal in Oxford County has said it would put 46 percent of net proceeds to specific uses, including 1 percent apiece to the Maine Dairy Farm Stabilization Fund; the Maine Agriculture Fair Support Fund; the Sire Stakes Fund; and the Maine Harness Racing Purse Fund. The rest of the proceeds would fund education, local government and the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes.
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