AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Gambling Control Board on Tuesday unanimously approved the state’s first full-fledged casino in Bangor.
The board approved both a gaming license for Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway and a name change for what will now be known as Hollywood Casino Bangor.
“Our official opening date is March 16,” said John Osborne, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Bangor. “We’ve hired about 60 of the 89 people we need and have only a handful of positions left to fill.”
Of those 60, Osborne said 48 are dealers. The other 12 are supervisors, also called pit bosses, and casino shift managers. The remaining 29 jobs will be in the form of beverage services, security, surveillance, cashiers, housekeeping and money counters.
The board’s vote was 4-0, with one member — Harry Stickney — absent. Tuesday’s meeting marked the first official voting action taken by new board member Barbara Dresser, a lawyer who is also a member of the Maine State Harness Racing Commission.
“We also licensed Gaming Products International as a table games distributor, and we’re in the process of licensing all their new gaming employees,” said Patrick Fleming, executive director of the gambling control board.
Fleming said that before Tuesday, no one was licensed to sell poker chips, cards or other table game supplies in Maine.
The board also approved a charity fundraiser using the casino’s new gambling area featuring 14 tables — one roulette wheel, six blackjack tables, one four-card and two three-card poker tables, and four poker tables. The tables will be used principally for Texas Hold’em, but also can be used to play Omaha or either five- or seven-card stud at the customers’ request.
“We’re still talking to a local charity to line up the details, but the way it would be done is the charity’s employees would come here and and have cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and play the games using ‘play’ chips we call value chips before we open to the public,” Osborne said.
The event will offer employees a chance to practice and get a feel for their jobs during a “soft opening” as well as raise funds for the local charity.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest about this,” Osborne said, referring to the games. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and people are very eager for us to open the table games.”
That interest level has prompted casino executives to expand operating hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to a 3 a.m. closing time starting March 1. The casino still will open at 8 a.m. every day.
“Everything has been ordered and we’ll begin accepting delivery of table games and equipment the end of this month and start of March,” Osborne said. “It will take us three days to convert the casino floor and move slots from the space.”
The table games will be located near the Epic Buffet and the Bangor harness racing simulcast and off-track betting area.
Casino customers will be given guides detailing the rules and descriptions of the games. Rules also will be clearly posted on interior signs.
As far as the name change goes, it will involve both an immediate and gradual approach.
“Our advertising will be changed immediately with our new logo and name,” Osborne said. “You’ll see the signage on the property and other material change be phased in over the next few weeks, and we’ll use up whatever can be used up with the old name and logo on them, like napkins or cups, and then replace it with the new stuff.”
Before voting on the license application, gambling board members reviewed a full background investigation on Hollywood Slots and all principal Hollywood Slots and parent company Penn National executives. They also saw a PowerPoint presentation by Hollywood Slots, which just was relicensed by the state in August as a slots facility.
Hollywood Slots has been in operation in Bangor since November 2005.
“Penn National and Hollywood Slots have been working in the state now since November 2005 and we’re impressed not only with their business model, but also the partnering they’ve done in the community,” said Fleming.
like i”m gonna go and spend my money in bathsalt town , not.
You mean Bumgor?
No one said you have to go
Makes sense for vacationland to allow casinos. Hopefully Mainer’s are smart enough to avoid the place.
ya they will go to bars an suck down beers an than go to the bath room now that sounds real fun to me an get in fights yup that’s fun
Is it just me or is the name Hollywood Casino Bangor really stupid and unoriginal..
Nope, not you.
actually the entire gambling thing is stupid. It is so slimy. why people don’t see what a rip off it is is beyond me.
IK don’t gamble to win. I find it entertaining. Sometimes I do win, like the time I won $7,000 playing Blackjack, or the another time I won $1500, or the time I won $1400…..
You are right that’s why i go to Mohegan Sun for the entertament part they have free shows there an i bring money to play with like you some times i win some times i lose i go there to have fun
Would you say the same thing with churches ripping off people with bingo an pull tab tickets ?
Talk about a ripoff it’s the Lottery. It’s ok for the State to have it’s Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto all of which have astronomical odds of winning. None of which has seen a jackpot winner from Maine. But we can’t have more Casinos in Maine other than these 2 and other forms of gambling as well.
It’s the chance to win big money that’s why people play the lottery. How many other state are in on the same games ?
44 lotteries (states + D.C. + Virgin Islands) including Maine play powerball, 42 for Mega Millions and 15 for Hot Lotto. Maine will be joining a new Multi-State game in the spring sometime in late march or early april. That will be a lucky for life style Lotto game they are joining similar to Weekly Grand game they have now. They can add new lotto games but can’t let us have even more Casinos or other types of Gambling.
Tongue in cheek, it really speaks ot the Maine heritage doesn’t it? I have thought the same from the very beginning. I just assumed they had that signage laying around from some other place that had already closed……
REALLY ! what has Hollywood anything got to do with Bangor Maine ? I havent seen many Hollywood stars strolling the streets of Bangor lately to wine and dine in our fine establishments ! Should of been BALDACCIS LEGACY and Emporium, where fine dining and back scratching are held in utmost privacy !
And, considering that it cannot exist without a harness race track very nearby, how interesting that the historically significant name “Bangor Raceway” has disappeared completely from the name. Nice way to say THANKS! to the horsemen and horses who got them to the Waterfront! NOT!!
I don’t believe that gambling is a good thing for the State of Maine. While some number of people are employed, it is basically a money changing operation where profits are skimmed out of the pockets of our citizens and shipped out of our state. There is not a significant enough number of out-of-state players to make it a net benefit for our economy. With that said, if we are going to have it, then it should be open to all. Let the free market rule and there will be winners and losers and the best, highest paying sites will survive. The pols in Augusta should not be in the business of picking winners and losers with all the corruption potential that comes with that power. Once it is legal, then if the Maine tribes want a site they should be able to build it, if Donald Trump wants to build one then go ahead. It is either so bad it is illegal or it is not bad enough to be illegal and then anyone should be free to build a casino.
How is it that “the pols in Augusta” are picking winners and losers ?
Did you forget both facilities were initiated and approved by public referenda, and not by the pols?
The majority of people that are going to deplore this decision are also going to attend the casino. I’ll bet you a dollar on it :]
I am looking forward to the casino in Oxford County to open…maybe their slot machines will pay once in awhile.
Hahaha, sure, blame it on the slots! As they say, a sucker is born everyday.
What about suckers that buy toys they don’t need like campers big trucks to hall them with an motor homes an they mite use theses toys a couple times a year an the same with motor boats. How about suckers that buy time shares places that’s a waste of money too.
Timeshares are the biggest waste! Especially if you bought one of the millions constructed 6 or 7 years ago. In all seriousness, I could careless if somebody plays slots. I was just giving him crap because he loses at one slot parlor and thinks by moving to another casino his odds will increase dramatically.
Dennis Bailey and the rest of the anti-casino crowd has had 10 years to present an alternative plan for jobs but they have no shown us a plan. They told us that Hollywood Slots now Hollywood Casino would cause major problems for Bangor it hasn’t happened. The Casinos are here now and it’s just a matter of time before Maine has more than 2 Casinos, along with Online Gambling, Sports Betting and other forms of Gambling. It’s time for Dennis Bailey, the Anti-Casino folks and the Liberals go find something else to complain over.
‘BOUT TIME!
The tribes were treated unfairly (as usual), but at least we get some table games up in this beach.
Let every casino fend for themselves. Stop playing favorites, State of Maine……
The “house” always wins.
You sissy’s need to stop your whining and crying. The people voted this in. Shut your mouth. It’s creating jobs. The anti gambling crowd needs to go find a new hobby. Stop your boo hooing. We are all sick of hearing it. You lost . bye. Get the cards in the air and the paychecks in the bank. I heard Dennis Bailey is having a sleepover. Why don’t you all go to his house and moan about how all your lies didn’t stop people from voting this in.
More chances for people to “invest” their welfare checks, “gained” EBT money, Social Security checks! Just to have their loses sent out of state.
Personally I think a computerized data system should be set up so the casino’s/Maine can make sure anybody recieving EBT, TANF, Welfare, etc should not be allowed into these establishments….as for others, have at it.
So, as a single mom, I should not be allowed to go in and play the penny machines, or even watch, because I get food stamps? Before you judge… If I am up by $1, I take it and go home! I go in at times, just to “people watch” for cheap entertainment…. guess I should check my food stamp card at the door… Make sure they know that I not actually spending money!
Nope you shouldn’t, don’t care if it’s a penny or not.
I agree the Welfare crowd shouldn’t go. But let her throw that money away. Any of us we will gladly win it at the Casino. Her or any Welfare Bum’s loss is our gain. We gladly could use that money winning it from folks like her.
If you got that kind of time, maybe you should look for a (second) JOB!
If you have time to post here than you need a second job
This IS my second job!
You people that don’t like casinos tell me how many people every year go to either Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods. There are people that drive down people take a bus out of Portland an people take a bus out of Lewiston an they take a bus out of Oldtown for over night trips .
All I have to say is..”Casinos are not built on winners but losers”
About time. The state needs the revenue, and people are going to gamble anyway so they might as well do it here instead of Connecticut.
most companys in Maine our owned buy out of state companys but the work force are maine people that make pay checks every week! do you want to shut down all the fast food joints,G.E, bath iron works,Irvings,Or any company that whats to open up in maine! hollywood slots has far more good for the state then harm and the number prove it
Otis, you and others like you are deluding yourselves when discussing jobs generation through gaming. You clearly do not understand the economic term ‘value added’. When we manufacture a product we are adding value to a raw material and that value increases at each step of the process. Thus a tree uncut is worth $50, the lumber from the tree is bought and value is added as it is cut into boards; a furniture maker takes a few boards and builds a table adding more value, etc. At the end of the process the accumulative value of the $50 tree is in the hundreds of dollars. That is how the multiplier effect of economics works….we add value to raw products, we produce capital. There is no multiplier effect with gaming; money comes in and money goes out….no value is added to any product, in fact, it can be argued that gaming has a negative multiplier effect because it removes potential capital from the economy, capital that could be better spent adding value to a product. By the way, the value that is added is most often the result of labor…….the result of gainful employment.
People are working earning money an they spend money in town an cities were they live .
obviously you do not understand basic economics; the multiplier effect of capital investment is lost when there is no value added via productive employment of capital. Yes an employee of the casino earns money but he is not adding value to any product thus there is no value added… the furniture maker gets paid but he has also increased the value of the wood his company purchased by building furniture to be sold. There is no value added to the product a Casino creates because it creates nothing. Casinos merely take patron’s money, give a little too its employees, give a little to the state, give a little to the city and give a lot to their stockholders. And where does the money give come from? 70% from within 50 miles of Bangor. And it produced nothing in Bangor; it merely redistributed the dollars from those who gambled to those who work or own the Casino. In fact, it actually decreases the total available capital in the community.
The bottom line is they are working and not collecting Welfare. They are working in the entertainment and tourism business. If these folks weren’t working at the Casino they would be sitting home like the rest of the dolts on Welfare would be doing right now. A job is a job to most people they don’t care if it’s a Casino, Wal-Mart , or at a shoe factory.
As long they are collecting a paycheck and not a Welfare check is what the working people and taxpayers want.
I think this is great and a long time comming. PEOPLE it’s your choice weather you go to this establishment or not. If you don’t like it don’t go it’s that simple..
Amen I hate when these folks and Liberals tell us where to spend our money. It’s our money we earned it, we pay our taxes. We should be able to spend it on entertainment. They need to go find new issues to complain about.
Anyone who thinks Penn National brings more into Bangor than they take out is on bath salts. The table games should speed the process up a little. Too bad that we could not mark every dollar that goes into Hollywood slots and see how many of them make it back into the local economy. Maybe then, we could actually see how this place hurts our local economy much more than it helps.
Also if its such a fine establishment why does it have one of the largest employee turn around since the sweat shops ! Every week they need cook I , cook II cookIII , and Count room personell, and just look at this weeks jobs section in BDN ! The only people making good money at HS all have southern accents , must be the new language we have to learn in our English classes locally !
Low wages, no benifits. Again, they take way more money out of our local economy than they put back in.
——————————
Here’s a great promotion “10% premium on government checks and Food Stamps now accepted at the buffet”
It’s all free.
Just slide your EBT.
You already said that in another post. Can’t think of something new?
It’s all ok just watch the vid;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzspsovNvII
Yeh, the State of Maine said gambling is bad for Maine and not a good source of economic development. But, play that Powerball, and play that Lottery and “invest” in the stock market!
Surprise, Surprise, what would expect of the gambling board. To say no? What a farce
I thought the Bible prohibited gambling. But I doubt if any of our local preachers will be bringing up this nagging little problem …. Too busy worrying about controlling women’s reproductive rights ans chasing altar boys around the pews?
They don’t say any thing about gambling because they have gambling Bingo an pull tabs
Gambling should be all in fun (it is for me at least) although I personally
know of 2 people who have become addicted to the slot machines there. They’re both stupid in my opinion.
The way I look at it, nobody is putting a gun to anybody’s head and forcing them to go in and gamble. If someone wants to throw away their money that’s their problem. If Hollywood Slots wasn’t there they’d probably be going to Foxwoods or buying up tons of lottery tickets, etc.
I’ll bet the addition of table games has the Pawn Shops licking their chops, though.
As far as it being an out of state corporation, you will find that just about everywhere. Hannaford is a perfect example. They are owned by a corporation in the Netherlands.
Gambling is entertainment. Those who become addicted to it should be put in a treatment program for gambling. As someone who has been to Casinos in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Orleans area. You find those who have major issues with Gambling is less than 2% of the crowd who goes there. Dennis Bailey makes it look like everyone has problems from Casinos. That Maine is poor from the Casinos. Maine is poor because of folks like Baldacci, Angus King , Dennis Bailey in control of Augusta not because of 1 soon to be 2 Casinos. Maine would be better off economically from having more Casinos , Horsetrack Casinos, other forms of Gambling. Maine should be getting the jobs, benefits and revenue that comes from it.
Game’s of Skill will bring people in to play the slots, period.. With only 14 tables you will be spending your Poker money in the Slots waiting for a table to open up, Fact!!!.. If they break even on the poker tables they will be more than happy…. It’s done on purpose to get you there and wait, They could of put in 40 tables, but it wouldn’t make them the slot revenue they are hoping for…
Congrats to Penn National and Hollywood Casino Bangor. You have provided a lot of economic benefits for Bangor over the years and are a big part of us becoming that destination. To become a entertainment destination, you have to offer entertainment. That, we thank you for. Penn National has been a big ‘chip’ towards that goal.
Just what they need….bigots …No gambling in Maine.. not good for poor people to spend money gambling….No to Indian casinos…White man steal again from Indian…too stupid to come up with own ideas. Take casino idea from Indian. It’s okay !!! They show their true colors again. Left the State years ago… Wouldn’t live there if they paid me too. The State STINKS!!!