Oxford Casino Hotel and Event Center in Oxford, Maine, a Churchill Downs Inc. property, opened to the public July 9—apparently a spur-of-the-moment decision by officials who, the day before, said they were unsure when the resort would reopen.
The casino opened with 300 slots on the gaming floor, and only 200 customers allowed inside the building at a time. Table games, restaurants, a 100-room hotel and the event center will remain closed for the time being.
Oxford City Manager Butch Asselin pointed out to GGB News that the opening was limited to only 200 people at a time, “which is probably about 5 percent of their capacity.” In a typical year, the Oxford casino hosts about 2 million visitors a year. He added, “I went (on opening day) at about 10 a.m. and saw quite a few vehicles, although the waiting line was about five people. I checked with a lady coming out and she said it was very clean, very sanitary—and she won money.”
Asselin said the town of Oxford has lost about $500,000 in revenue from the casino from March to June; it usually collects from $35,000 to $38,000 a week from the facility, for a total of about $2 million a year.
“We look forward to working with the governor and the general manager to see that we can open at full capacity, although that probably won’t happen until late August or early September,” said Asselin.
By order of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, working with the Commissioner of Public Safety, the casino is divided into four zones, and no more than 50 persons are allowed in any of the zones at any time. Employees are posted at strategic checkpoints to maintain this balance.
The quadrants are operated independently, so that if a customer wants to go from one to another, an employee will check to see if there’s room available. The customer might be told, “No that quadrant is at capacity,” or told to go to a different quadrant to find a game.
Social distancing is maintained between the machines by turning off some of the slots so that no one is sitting closer than six feet to another player. Mask-wearing for all is also in force.
According to Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck, the dividing of the casino into four zones is the element that will allow it to operate safely and still be profitable. “That was a big change and a big move that really allowed the casinos to be viable,” he told the Bangor Daily News. With a location that big, it would be difficult if it was just 50 people.”
He added, “Technology-wise, we can actually shut off games, so we can work with them to provide social distance because we do have a central monitoring system.”
Jack Sours, vice president and general manager of the resort, issued a statement saying, “We are happy to have received approval from local, state and regulatory authorities so that we could get our team members back to work and welcome guests back to Oxford Casino,” and added, “Cleanliness and safety have always made up the foundation of our culture, and are of the utmost importance—now more than ever.”
One proof of that commitment to health and safety is Sours’ announcement that all employees have been tested for Covid-19 and cleared. Employees and vendors are tested daily.
GGB News asked for a comment on the opening by Milt Champion, executive director of the Department of Public Safety, who said,
“We have state inspectors assigned to our facilities in Maine during all open hours of operation. The reopening of Oxford Casino went very well … guidelines by the Governor’s Public Health Committee are being followed and patrons have been eager to comply. … The facilities have decided to offer slot machine only play for now, with blackjack style table games opening at a later date. We expect the first sign of waiting times to develop into the weekend.”
The state’s other casino, the Hollywood Casino in Bangor, opened July 10 at noon under the same guidelines. General Manager Austin Muchemore issued this statement: “While the amenities our customers have come to know and love may be somewhat limited for the time being, the ability to safely welcome back our team members and guests remains our top priority.” He added, “Our returning team members will be trained on these procedures and our guests will see reminder signage about them throughout the property.”
