Last week the first state casino in Maine was approved in an election; this week opponents are calling for a recount.
More than 150 signatures filled petitions that were delivered Tuesday to the secretary of state's office in Augusta, calling for the recount. Concerned citizens highlighted the very close margin on the vote.
On Nov. 2 the ballot question calling for a casino in Oxford was approved by voters by fewer than 5,300 out of more than 556,000 votes, which works out to be a margin of less than 1 percentage point.
Scott Vlaun of Oxford Hills No on One, an anti-casino group, explains the position of the opposition: "The margin was so close and so many people worked so hard for so long we felt obligated to all the supporters to make sure we did in fact lose it at the polls. It seems at that range there's plenty of room for error."
On the side of those in favor of the casino there is a lot of confidence that the vote will be upheld.
The approved casino is a $165 million resort that will be built in phases by Black Bear Entertainment. The resort will include a casino, a 200-room hotel, restaurants and a spa.
While Maine has the Hollywood Slots in Bangor it is prohibited by law from having table games such as blackjack and craps, making do with 1,000 slot machines,