Maine Casino Revenues Up 2% to $130M in 2015

The Maine Gambling Control Board has released its casino results for the whole of 2015, revealing a 2% increase in revenues to $129.8 million compared to the $127.2 million collected in 2014.
The small northeastern state has two casinos, namely the Hollywood Casino which opened in 2005, and the Oxford Casino which did likewise in 2010. While the Hollywood Casino reported a slight contraction in revenues last year, Oxford Casino saw an uptick in business, with the two venues combined results then marking a new high for the state.
Elaborating further, Hollywood Casino generated $53.2 million in net revenues last year, lower by 2% from the $54.4 million taken in 2014. Nevertheless, Hollywood Casino manager Jose Flores expressed satisfaction with the casino’s performance, and looking ahead commented:
“We’re looking forward to a strong tourism year here in Eastern Maine, and will be continuing to strive for a quality entertainment experience for every customer that walks through our doors.”
In the meantime, Oxford Casino revenues reached $76.6 million in 2015, a 5% improvement on the $72.8 million it took the previous year. Commenting on the impressive results, casino spokeswoman Jane Hoyt stated:
“We are pleased with the performance thus far, as Oxford Casino continues to be an incredible economic engine for the region, creating both jobs and much needed revenue for local government and the state.”
The year ahead, however, could prove to be a crucial one for Maine’s two casinos as certain groups are pushing to have a third gambling venue open in the state after a commissioned WhiteSand Gaming report concluded that Maine could easily accommodate a new casino providing it was located in the southern part of the state. It has even been suggested that another casino could be built near the Canadian border, although other lawmakers are not so convinced and believe that the casino market across New England has already become too saturated.
In addition to a potential cannibalization of the industry, further expansion of Maine’s casino industry would also seem to go against the wishes of state residents, who have been posed multiple referenda questions over the past ten years.