Will Mainers Vote for Blackjack?

Casino vote

The polls are now closed in Maine, but the results are not in yet – will this New England state get its casino?

Residents of the US state of Maine are voting right now about whether or not to allow for the construction of a full-blown casino, complete with not only slot machines but also poker, roulette, and blackjack card games. This is the third time in four years that the issue has been up for a vote.

Black Bear Entertainment LLC wants to spend $165 million on a new casino resort in the town of Oxford. Proponents point to the thousands of jobs it would create, and the $60 million in tax revenue it could generate. They have also poured $3 million into lobbying for the new gambling megacenter.

The polls are still open at the time of writing this article early Wednesday morning, Maine time. Results from the first few districts show a close race, with yes votes leading by a few percent. The results should be available later today or tomorrow, but it’s impossible at this point to predict whether or not Maine will get a new blackjack casino.

Maine has just one casino right now, the Hollywood Slots in Bangor. The casino has more than 1,000 slot machines, but no casino blackjack or other table games.