PARIS — Supporters of a proposed resort casino in Oxford County said they were not willing to concede early Wednesday morning as voting results on the Question 2 referendum continued to trickle in.
Down by about 40,000 votes statewide,  Pat LaMarche, spokeswoman for the Yes on 2 for Maine campaign said supporters were not giving up hope.
“It is not my job to concede this election. It’s the people of Oxford County and they are humbly waiting for the rest of the state to be counted and I stand with them. I’m waiting with them and a whole pile of them are here tonight,” LaMarche said at the King’s Hill Inn in Paris where about 40 people had gathered.
The question passed by a wide margin in Oxford County and was supported in the cities of Lewiston and Auburn. The town of Rumford, home of Seth Carey, the attorney who started the campaign for a casino in the county two years ago, also voted in favor of the measure.
“I think the hard-working people of Oxford County understand how important jobs are and we are going to continue to work hard to bring economic opportunity to the inner part of Maine,” Carey said. “We are going to keep at it. These results show people are interested in projects like this.”
But voters in Maine’s southern counties and many smaller towns around the state and particularly Down East were nixing the measure soundly.
LaMarche said she expected people in Portland and Bangor to oppose the question and that voters in Lewiston-Auburn and Augusta would  be more favorable.
Les Flanders of Stoneham, a former Norway selectmen who has been involved in economic development activities, said the casino would bring “meaningful jobs” to the county.
“It’s not a cure-all,” Flanders said. “It’s one piece of the puzzle that will help this area.”
Rupert Grover of Norway said he supported the proposal for its promised jobs and state revenue. Grover, who owns Grover Gundrilling and employs about 70 people, said major employers in Oxford County have been leaving or shrinking.
“I give it a 50-50 shot of making it,” Grover said. “But it’s exciting to be a part of trying to get it to happen. Everyone likes a horse race, especially a close one.”
The proposed Oxford Highlands Resort-Spa-Casino would have been built in two phases between 2009 and 2014 and would require an estimated $154 million investment. The casino would include 1,500 slot machines, 30 table games, five poker tables, 5,000 square feet of retail space, five restaurants and a 400-seat lounge and entertainment venue. The development would also include 300 hotel rooms, 15,000 square feet of spa space and 30,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
Olympia Gaming, the Las Vegas-based group backing the proposal, has stated that the project would create 1,277 jobs with an average annual wage of $30,975 during construction, with additional economic benefits of 458 jobs. The casino itself is projected to create 907 jobs with an average annual wage of $35,876 and additional creation of 592 jobs.
The group also promised to pay 1 percent of the casino’s revenue to Oxford County and 2 percent to the town of Oxford. LaMarche estimated those figures at $3.5 million for Oxford and $1 million for the county.
On Oct. 3, the Oxford Board of Selectmen and the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee voted unanimously in support of a casino in the town. Olympia Gaming announced a week later that it had chosen Oxford for the site, citing its access to a highway — Route 26 — support from the municipal government and proximity to population centers.
The group has since narrowed its options for the development to three possible sites along Route 26 between Number Six Road and Industrial Drive.
Dennis Bailey, a spokesman for CasinosNo!, a group formed to oppose casinos in Maine, said he didn’t believe the late results would make up the difference for casino supporters.
Two key things contributed to his opponents’ loss, Bailey said.
“Maine people decided on the casino about five years ago and Las Vegas just didn’t get the memo,” Bailey said. “They’ve been pretty consistent on this.”
The casino campaign was also “saddled with a pretty bad bill,” Bailey said. “And I can’t for the life of me understand why they thought Maine people would accept this bill.”
Bailey also said negative campaign tactics and personal attacks against him likely backfired. “In the end, I think it came down to believability,” Bailey said.