Oxford casino could appear on ballot
The Maine Secretary of State's office yesterday approved a referendum proposal to allow a casino in Oxford County to appear on the November ballot, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap on Wednesday approved a referendum petition for a question that reads, "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?" Under the current law, the Legislature could approve the casino, which would include slot machines, table games and card games, as proposed, but likely will send the issue to voters on the Nov. 4 ballot, the paper said.
If voters approve the casino, elected officials and voters in the as-yet-unnamed Oxford County host town would also need to approve it. The casino is proposed by Seth Carey, an attorney and president of Evergreen Mountain Enterprises LLC, which was formed to promote the plan.
Maine has one other gambling facility, Penn National Gaming Inc.’s Hollywood Slots racino in Bangor, which in November surpassed $1 billion in wagers and $74 million in net revenue, the paper reported.
(from The Daily/Mainebiz)
1 comment:
I would be interested to learn more about the racino in Bangor and its impact on Maine's economy and people. Perhaps I'll do some research. That being said, I still do not understand what all the fuss is about. Maine has gambling already (which I am sure many have argued) in the form of the Maine Lottery, Off Track Betting, Bingo halls and the racino in Bangor and many so called friendly poker games for chips (haha). Have these forms of gambling been shown to have negative impacts on the State or its people? Frankly I am tired of revisiting this issue every year or two. I suspect persistance will eventually pay off for the pro gambling lobby and this issue will finally go away. Don't we have bigger issues to deal with (healthcare, state budget, etc.) anyway? I am not opposed to gambling and have purchased a lottery ticket or two or four in my day. I have not taken the trek to Foxwoods or the like as mnay have and cannot say I would travel to Oxford county either. I just do not have the amount of money I would like to piss it away on roulette or slots or whatever the game might be. For those that do. I say let 'em spend it the way they want. If the State benefits, so be it. You know it will get here eventually, why not now and be done with it.
Post a Comment