OXFORD — In its first nine months of operation, the Oxford Casino grossed $950,000 in liquor sales. That’s about $3,500 a day. 

The figure was included in the casino’s liquor license application, approved by the Oxford Board of Selectmen in March. 

According to the application, the casino also sold $1.7 million worth of food in the same period. 

Courtney Yop-Norris, a spokeswoman for Churchill Downs, the casino’s parent company, said Wednesday she could not say whether liquor and food sales were higher or lower than projected, or whether the numbers were holding steady this year. 

Food and beverage earnings and projections are lumped into the property’s overall earnings and cannot be “segmented out,” Yop-Norris said. 

She was unsure whether the volume of food and beverage sales at the Oxford Casino was consistent with sales at similar gaming venues. 

Oxford Casino serves a full range of alcoholic drinks at its two bars, one in the Oxford Grill restaurant and the other near the center of the gaming floor. 

The casino’s food and beverage manager, Phil Everett, said drink prices range from $3.50 for a bottle of beer to $10 for a glass of wine or a cocktail. 

The casino’s policy is to limit one serving of alcohol per customer per half hour, Everett said. By state law, the casino isn’t allowed to serve free alcohol, which disappoints some patrons. 

“Everyone thinks, when they come into a casino, they’re getting free alcohol,” Everett said. “There are people who haven’t been to a Maine casino before or haven’t gambled in the state. They do question it, and they’re upset by it, but soon learn to deal with it. ” 

pmcguire@sunjournal.com

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