OXFORD, ME (WGME) -- Next month will mark 10 years since the Oxford Casino first opened its doors.
The state's second casino was approved by voters in 2010, with the facility officially taking its first bets in the summer of 2012.
When first proposed, there were promises of new jobs, revenue and growth for a region that was still struggling to get out from the recession.
Ten years later, the now expanded casino is hard to miss on Route 26 in Oxford. And while its presence in the region originally brought a mix of concerns, many have seemingly faded away.
"The finished product is probably better than what I envisioned," Oxford Selectman Floyd Thayer said. "You're always skeptical of something like that, but you know a lot more good has come out of it than bad."
Thayer was Chair of the Selectboard when the casino was first proposed. He says there were many in the community who were opposed to bringing the casino in, but he believes their concerns never became reality.
There was people saying bad things would happen and different things would happen," Thayer said. "But the casino really came through and have done a nice job."
Reporter Dan Lampariello: "Do you feel like the promises that were made originally were kept?"
Thayer: "I think overall pretty much they were kept. I mean a lot of people were disappointed that it wasn't Maine owned in the end but I think it's worked out well."
Oxford Casino was was originally developed and opened by Maine-based Black Bear Entertainment, but was sold less than a year after opening to Churchill Downs LLC out of Kentucky.
"When Churchill Downs took over, we looked at opportunities for expansion and saw the hotel as another opportunity," Oxford Casino General Manager Matt Gallagher said. "That allowed us to add another nearly 200 slot machines, more tables and more importantly, 107 rooms."
Gallagher, who has been with the Oxford Casino since it first opened, says the expansion over the last 10 years has allowed them to double their staff.
"We're over 400 team members with an annual payroll of over $15 million," Gallagher said. "These jobs, they've become careers."
According to the casino, a majority of employees are from the local community and more than 100 have been working there since Day 1.
New jobs were one of the biggest draws for the region, since unemployment was sitting above 10 percent in 2012. Currently, state data shows Oxford County's unemployment rate sits below 5 percent.
The casino's growth over the past 10 years has also brought in new revenue for the state and region. Between table games and slots, the Oxford Casino has paid out more than $319 million in taxes to the state over the past decade.
Forty-six percent of the casino's net slot machine revenue and 16 percent of the casino's net table game revenue is divided out through a cascade to various municipalities, organizations and funds.
Slot Machine Cascade
- 25% Department of Education Grades K-12 Essential programs
- 3.85% University of Maine Scholarship Fund
- 0.15% Maine Maritime Academy
- 3% Maine Community College System Scholarships
- 4% Tribal Governments of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Tribes
- 3% Administrative Expenses of the GCB and gambling Addiction counseling services
- 2% Town of Oxford
- 1% Agricultural Fair Support
- 1% Harness Racing Purse Supplements
- 1% Sire Stakes Fund
- 1% Oxford County
- 0.5% Dairy Improvement Fund
- 0.5% Maine Milk Pool
Table Game Cascade
- 10% Department of Education for grades K-12 essential programs
- 3% Administrative Expenses of the Gambling Control Board
- 2% Town of Oxford
- 1% Oxford County
The Town of Oxford, which gets 2 percent of the revenue collected by the state, has received around $15.7 million in funds over the past decade.
"That's been able to help us with certain things, capital purchases and offsetting the tax commitment every year," Oxford Town Manager Adam Garland said. "It's bringing more people to Oxford, it's bringing more money to Oxford and it's bringing more attention to Oxford."
Garland says the money has not only helped the community's bottom line, it's also driven in new business since the casino first opened.
"The Hampton Inn across the road, that exists because of the casino frankly," Garland said. "We've got a couple other restaurants in town, the big box restaurants like Applebee's and other smaller ones like Daddy O's and all of those businesses I believe have seen growth because of the casino being in town."
The same can be said for businesses further down Route 26.
"Economically, it's been a huge growth," Poland Spring Resort Owner Cyndi Robbins said. "There's so many more businesses in Poland now than there were 10 years ago."
Robbins, who's owned the resort since the 1970s, currently employs around 130 people. She says the resort was able to go from seasonal to year-round and expand its staff after the casino opened.
"We don't have a ski area next door and we have nothing to bring anyone here after November 1st," Robbins said. "But now we do."
So while the bet has seemingly paid off for some, the question now is how the casino may up the ante in the future.
Lampariello: "Do you believe you can add more jobs here?"
Gallagher: "I would love to. Absolutely. We're always looking at possible expansion. Once we get COVID in the rearview mirror, we'll continue to evaluate and see what we can do."
While nothing new is in the card just yet, all eyes will be on what the next 10 years could bring.