Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor

Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor
Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor Location in the Bangor Waterfront District
Location	Bangor, Maine, United States
Address	500 Main St
Opening date	November 1, 2005 (2005-11-01)
Theme	Cinema of the United States
No. of rooms	152
Notable restaurants	Hops House 99, Take 2
Casino type	Racino
Owner	Gaming and Leisure Properties
Operating license holder	Penn Entertainment
Architect	WBRC Architects and Engineers[1]
Previous names	Hollywood Slots
Renovated in	Moved facilities in 2007
Coordinates	44°47′17″N 68°46′37″W
Website	hollywoodcasinobangor.com

Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor (previously Hollywood Slots[2] and Bangor Raceway) is a casino and harness racing track in Bangor, Maine. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment. It was the first licensed slots facility in the state,[3] and became the first casino to be licensed in the state of Maine when it added table games to its facilities in 2012.[4] The only other licensed casino in the state is Oxford Casino in Oxford, Maine.[4] As of 2024, the casino had 14 tables and 715 slot machines.[5] The hotel has 152 rooms, including four suites.

Taxes on the casino's revenue contributed approximately $12 million to the City of Bangor's construction of the Cross Insurance Center, located across the street from the Casino. Eastern Maine Community College now offers classes to students on how to deal for various casino card games, which are partially sponsored by the casino.[6][7]

History

Harness racing was begun at Bangor Raceway in 1883.[8] In 1890, in an exhibition mile at the track, the champion trotter Nelson set a world record of 2:15 1/4 for a mile on a half-mile track.[9] The park was originally owned by Joseph P. Bass but was transferred by bequest after his death to the City of Bangor in 1932.[8] In April 1949, the track's wooden grandstand was lost to fire, but was soon replaced with a 3,000-seat concrete grandstand that is still in use today.[10] In the early 1990s, the Bangor City Council voted to turn the park's harness racing operations over to a private investment group, led by Fred Nichols, due to financial losses from operating the track. [10]

The property became a racino when Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) acquired Bangor Historic Track and its slots license from casino developer Shawn Scott following a statewide referendum the approving slots gaming at parimutuel racing facilities.[11] Penn National initially acquired a nearby local restaurant and converted it into a temporary facility housing 475 slot machines, as well as off-track betting, while construction began on a larger facility across the street on the Penobscot River.[12]^[self-published source] In 2007, the casino moved into the new facility and expanded to house 1,000 slot machines.[4] In 2012, Penn National was allowed to add traditional casino table games to its collection of slots.[13]

See also

• Gambling in Maine

References

1. "Hollywood Casino - WBRC Architects and Engineers - Portland, Bangor, Florida". Wbrcae.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
2. John Clarke Russ (2012-03-01). "Hollywood Slots officially changes name to Hollywood Casino". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
3. "HOLLYWOOD SLOTS: AT A GLANCE". Bangor Daily News. 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
4. The Associated Press (2012-02-21). "Hollywood Slots to get Maine's 1st casino license". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
5. Hollywood Casino. "Casino". Hollywood Casino. Hollywood Casino. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
6. Ravana, Anne. "Hollywood Slots Touts Contribution to City". March 23, 2007. Bangor Daily news. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
7. Nick McCrea (2013-07-13). "After five years in permanent home, city says Hollywood Casino boosted Bangor growth". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
8. "Harness racing at the Bass Park, Bangor, ca. 1915".
9. "Hall of Fame: Nelson".
10. "Bangor In Focus: Bass Park".
11. Graham, Gillian. "Petition drive aims to put York County casino referendum on 2016 ballot". December 28, 2015. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
12. Robert Temple (9 April 2010). The History of Harness Racing in New England. Xlibris Corporation. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4500-5472-0.
13. Nick McCrea (2013-03-15). "One year later, table games at Hollywood Casino bring in nearly $7.6 million". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2013-11-26.

External links

• Hollywood Casino Bangor