AUGUSTA (AP) – The company that plans to develop a racino at Bangor Raceway is looking to open a temporary gaming facility with 475 slot machines at a restaurant overlooking the Bangor waterfront.

Penn National Gaming Inc. said Thursday it is buying Miller’s Restaurant for $3.8 million and hopes to have the slots up by November or December.

The company also filed a completed slot operator license application, a move made possible by newly enacted legislation that will enable state gambling regulators to keep confidential certain information that state investigators gather for licensing purposes.

The purchase of Miller’s, which is expected to close this summer, includes the off-track betting operation now located in the restaurant’s lower level, which will move into the refurbished grandstand at Bangor Raceway.

Construction will begin in May or June, Steven Snyder, Penn’s senior vice president for corporate development, told the Maine Gambling Control Board.

The temporary facility is expected to bring about 100 jobs to Bangor, Snyder said.

“This is a great day for the board,” said Rep. Patricia Blanchette, D-Bangor, a member of the legislative committee that has jurisdiction over gambling. “This is a big move for the city of Bangor, and it’s a gigantic leap for the state of Maine.”

George McHale, chairman of the gambling panel and of the Maine Harness Racing Commission, said he now could be out and about without “constantly being asked when the slots are coming.”

Dennis Bailey, spokesman for the anti-gambling group Casinos No!, indicated his disapproval, saying revenues from the gambling operation would come at the expense of other local businesses.

Penn National projects that the 475 slots heading for Miller’s will generate $20 million to $30 million in annual revenues. Of that total, $3 million to $4 million will go to the state, the city will see at least $1.1 million, and $8 million to $10 million will be divided among the beneficiaries named in the original slots bill.

The temporary facility will serve as Penn National’s base of operations until its permanent facility in the vicinity of Bass Park for up to 1,500 slots is completed. The company had hoped to begin construction on that facility this summer, but Snyder said various factors have led to delays.

—

Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-04-15-05 0217EDT

Copy the Story Link