Oxford named site for proposed casino
10/10/08 | 5 comments
Casino

Oxford named site for proposed casino


By The Associated Press

OXFORD, Maine — Supporters of a proposal to bring a casino to western Maine say the casino and resort would be located in Oxford if voters allow it to move forward on Election Day.

Olympia Gaming of Las Vegas said Thursday it is looking at several pieces of property along the Route 26 corridor in the Oxford County town.

The sites are all around 40 acres in size, and the company hopes to announce an exact location in the coming week, said spokeswoman Pat LaMarche.

The biggest problem in selecting a site has been that so many landowners have come forward with property that might be suitable for the $150 million casino and resort, LaMarche said.

“People keep presenting their property to us,” she said. “And because Olympia’s been at the table for only 3½ weeks, they don’t want to turn away something that might be the perfect site.”

Mainers will vote Nov. 4 on a referendum asking whether a casino should be allowed in Oxford County.

Supporters say the project would stimulate the economy in a region with low incomes and high jobless rates. Critics say it would take money out of the economy and put it into the pockets of out-of-state casino owners.

Olympia Gaming has proposed building a casino and resort that would be built in two phases and include a 300-room hotel, a 30,000-square-foot conference center and 100,000 square feet of casino space that would accommodate table games and up to 1,500 slot machines. Other amenities would include a spa, three restaurants, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Olympia had said previously that it had narrowed its search for an appropriate site to three towns, including Oxford. Oxford selectmen last week passed a resolution in support of the proposal.

LaMarche said the company was attracted to Oxford because of the selectmen’s vote, along with its location along busy Route 26 and its proximity to the Maine Turnpike, about 20 miles away.

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Comments
5 comments on this item
On 10/10/08 at 6:17 AM, mrclam wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

So, Oxford wants to be "Little Atlantic City North"? They should see how little casinos really do for a town. Check out Atlantic City's jumble of cop cars, rescue vehicles, drug dealers, prostitutes and pimps.Hey, there are some great benefits in being a casino town. It's a great way to raise a family. Your kids might be able to get a little on-the-job training on the street, on one side of the law or the other. Riff-raff attracts riff-raff and they'll have plenty of it if they get a casino.

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On 10/10/08 at 8:10 AM, MrNixxon wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Atlantic City is a bit bigger than Oxford and different in its attitude also. Kind of like comparing the casino in Bangor to Vegas. Any trouble at Foxwoods other than killing the farms? We're killing all the farms off either this way or by subdivisions. Everyone wants the money and no one wants the back breaking work and struggle to survive. But that's another conversation.

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On 10/10/08 at 8:47 AM, getitdone wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

How come I haven't seen any Casino No ads on TV or heard any on the radio pertaining to this? They only spend their non-profit dollars fighting Native American ideas or what? If this passes when the other one didn't it will be a sad day for Maine.

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On 10/10/08 at 9:20 AM, Sassy1 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

make sure you're not thinking that if this casino passes maybe other places like Washington County can get one. It is worded specifically on the ballot that this would be he only casino in Maine. Check it out:

"Question 2: Citizen Initiative

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?

As Getitdone said, it will be a sad day in Maine if this passes.

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On 10/10/08 at 1:14 PM, PabMainer wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Sassy & getit...absolutely right, it will be a sad day when and if a vote affirms building a casino in the lower half/western half of the state especially when Baldy won't allow one to be had in the most desperate areas of our state DownEast and Northern Maine. Strikingly odd that on last nights prime time news the state of Nevada, and if I am not mistaken Nevada is the casino/jgambling capital of the USA, has mandated a state wide reduction in services and budgets of over 14% because the gaming revenues are no longer paying/covering for things brought on by these types of businesses....hopefully Mainers will think thru the issues and consequenses before voting?

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