Maine to get its first slot machines in less than two weeks

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005 | 11:08 a.m.

Hollywood Slots, located in a former restaurant, will feature 475 slot machines, a pub-style restaurant and plenty of Hollywood-style glitz, providing a taste of what's in store when a permanent facility with 1,500 slots opens in two to three years.

The Nov. 4 grand opening will feature a red carpet, spotlights pointed skyward and even Hollywood lookalikes, said General Manager Jon Johnson.

But the rumble of horses' hooves and smell of straw from the stables won't be part of the experience, to the disappointment of Bangor Raceway horsemen.

Harness racers, who will receive a portion of the slot proceeds, wish the slots had been placed at Bangor Raceway to generate excitement. If the city gets its way, the permanent racetrack casino, or "racino," likely won't be at track, either.

"How can you call it a racino? You can't even see a horse. It's a joke," said Gerald "Butch" MacKenzie Jr., president of the Maine Harness Horsemen's Association.

Two years ago, Mainers approved a referendum to allow up to 1,500 slot machines at commercial harness-racing tracks in Bangor and Scarborough.

Only Bangor residents provided the necessary local approval, allowing Penn National Gaming Inc. to move forward with what will be the state's first and only slots parlor. By law, the slots have to be within 2,000 feet of the Bangor Raceway.

MacKenzie said Mainers thought they were voting to approve slot machines at a racetrack when they went to the polls two years ago.

"As much as harness-racing needed a boost from the slot revenue, I don't know if the people of Maine would have voted for it if they knew this was going to happen," he said.

Hollywood Slots is Penn National's interim facility a few blocks away from the 112-year-old Bass Park, home to the Bangor Raceway.

But Bangor officials worried that construction of the permanent slot facility could disrupt events at the Bangor Auditorium and Bass Park. Officials have asked Penn National to consider locations other than the track for its permanent slots facility.

"We're looking at what the optimal site may be. Bass Park would be a good fallback if we're unsuccessful in finding an alternative site," said Penn National spokesman Eric Schippers.

City Manager Ed Barrett said that building the permanent Hollywood Slots facility at the racetrack would create a number of problems, disrupting traffic and eliminating parking. Also, the Bangor Fair and other events would likely have to be moved, he said.

Getting the interim Hollywood Slots facility up and running will give the city and Penn National more time to sort out these issues, Barrett said.

Penn National spent nearly $17 million transforming the former Miller's Restaurant into the interim location where people can play the slots. Exterior windows were covered and the restaurant underwent a top-to-bottom overhaul.

Inside, the walls will be covered with Hollywood memorabilia, and blinking lights from the slot machines fill the dimly lit rooms with a rainbow of colors. When it opens, the cocktail servers will move through with drinks, and there are also two bars and a restaurant.

Patrons will place bets from 2 cents to $5 on flashy machines with names like "Lucky Seven," "Cleopatra" and "Lucky Larry's Lobstermania."

They can pull the lever on traditional "one-armed bandits" or they can interact with other machines by using a dozen or more buttons. Payouts come in the form of redeemable tickets; coins are too heavy and create workers' comp problems, Johnson said.

For its part, Penn National has found that people who place bets on horses tend to be different from those who play the slots, Schippers said.

Nonetheless, it would be unusual for the slots to be separated from the racing experience. Typically, racetrack casinos are placed together.

Mountaineer Gaming and Race Track Resort in Chester, W.Va., is one example where the main gaming facility and the track are a mile apart, separated by a large parking lot. Even there, however, there are a small number of slots at the track.

In Bangor, both the interim slots parlor and the permanent facility will benefit the horsemen and the track, regardless of location, Barrett said.

"The reason that most people supported the racetrack casino was because they supported helping harness racing. That happens regardless," he said.

One site under consideration by Penn National for the permanent facility is the Holiday Inn across from the Bangor Auditorium and Bass Park, a location that could fit with the city's goals of developing its waterfront.

Despite his reservation about putting slots outside the track, MacKenzie said he doesn't want to do anything to imperil Hollywood Slots.

Whatever the location, horsemen, horse breeders and others associated with the industry will get a much-needed boost from slots, he said.

Don Marean, a state legislator who runs a horse-breeding farm in Hollis, began seeing a benefit months before the opening of Hollywood Slots. He already has had more inquiries about his yearlings than ever before in his 20 years in the industry.

"Regardless of where it's going to be located, it's going to be tremendously helpful to the harness-racing industry," he said.