Maine: Casino supporters/opposition square off in debate

Casino supporters and opposition square off in debate

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- With less than three weeks till election day, those in favor and against a proposed resort casino in Oxford presented their cases to business leaders in Southern Maine.

"These are a bad deal for Maine. This is not what Maine is all about," said Dennis Bailey, a spokesperson for Casinos No. "There is no evidence anywhere in America where a state or a community or a county has brought in slot machines and is doing better than areas without them."

Dan Cashman, a spokesperson for Citizens Against the Oxford Casino, says his coalition, which includes Hollywood Slots - Maine's only race track which also has slots machines, is opposed to the ballot initiative because it would not provide a level playing field for all interested parties. The law would not allow another gambling facility to operate within 100 miles of the Oxford casino.

"I think we all know that there are some proposals coming through the pipeline now for potential facilities in Biddeford and Lewiston, and those would basically be null and void if this goes through as written," said Cashman.