New, year-end numbers show slot machine gambling was down $15 million at the Oxford Casino in 2014. Hollywood Casino in Bangor saw a $10 million drop, modest after the $100 million wallop the year before. “I think the novelty is kind of wearing off,” Patrick Fleming, executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Board, said […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine VFW post commander faces gambling charges
MADISON (AP) — The commander of a Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars post has been charged with making illegal payouts to patrons who played a video poker game at the post and trying to hide evidence from police. State police say 71-year-old Louis Padula, of Anson, was charged with unlawful gambling, tampering with a witness […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage pulls plan to bring keno to Maine this year
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul says that his administration won’t move forward with its plan to introduce keno in Maine this year. LePage said in a statement on Tuesday that “now is not the time to have another debate over gambling.” The administration had planned to roll out the game at retailers like bars […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine lawmakers consider blocking administration attempt at adding keno
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers from both political parties are trying to prevent Gov. Paul LePage’s administration from bringing keno to Maine this spring, arguing Monday that such a significant expansion of gambling requires legislative approval. A bill before the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee seeks to halt the lottery commission’s plans to join 15 states that offer […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Hollywood Casino drops 24-hour schedule after trial run
BANGOR — Coming out of 2014 with a slight drop in net revenue, Hollywood Casino tried a 10-day experiment in which it kept its doors open around the clock. The test run didn’t yield the results casino officials hoped for, so the gambling facility has returned to its normal 19-hour day. “The biggest takeaway from […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine casinos report a bit more revenue, chip in $45 million in taxes
Maine casino-goers might have hit the wall in 2014. Early figures from the Maine Gambling Control Board released this week show slot machine revenue nearly flat last year at the state’s two casinos. In Bangor, Hollywood Casino saw slot players gamble $459.6 million last year compared to $468.9 million in 2013, an almost 2 percent […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
FBI asks for help identifying government corruption
BOSTON — The FBI is asking the public’s help in identifying government corruption in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Special Agent Vincent Lisi, who runs the agency’s Boston field office that covers those four states, announced Monday that his office will launch a dedicated, toll free tip line: 1-844-NoBribe (662-7423). It will also […]
Posted inMaine
State committee passes casino work to next Legislature
AUGUSTA — An issue that state lawmakers have wrestled with for more than 20 years will again be on the agenda in 2015. But all bets are off as to whether the Legislature will actually pass any bill that would expand gambling in Maine in 2015. On Monday, outgoing members of the Legislature’s Veterans and […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Gambling group says Maine casinos create 1,500 jobs
PORTLAND— A new report funded by the American Gaming Association says Maine’s two casinos have created nearly 1,500 jobs. The report conducted by Oxford Economics suggests Maine’s unemployment rate would rise from 5.8 percent to 6.4 percent without the casinos in Oxford and Bangor. The figure of 1,500 jobs includes about 800 direct jobs, about […]
Posted inMaine, Oxford Hills
Idea of more Maine casinos has Oxford, Bangor concerned about ‘cannibalization’
BANGOR — A recent report released by a gambling management and advisory firm about the potential for more Maine casinos has excited state legislators. But the state’s two existing casinos and local governments invested in their success or failure expect to push back, arguing further casino development could stifle or quash the fledgling industry. Last […]