Bangor slot casino hits a snag

March 12

In the Bangor Daily News, online slots players are reading about this developing story. The paper is reporting that Penn National Gaming Inc.'s plan to open a slots casino on Main Street ran into a problem yesterday, after members of the Maine Gambling Control Board found themselves unable to issue one of Penn's slot machine distributors the permanent license it was seeking.

It is being said that the problem could provisionally affect the number of slot machines Penn National can have at Hollywood Slots at Bangor, the interim gaming facility the Pennsylvania-based gaming and racing company is gearing up to open in the former Miller's Restaurant.

Because of this, the timing of Hollywood Slots' early November opening that has been scheduled.

At issue is Bally Gaming and Systems' application for a state slots distributor license. Bally's parent company, Alliance Gaming Corp. of Nevada, is one of three slots distributors Penn National has tapped to supply the 475 machines it has ordered for Hollywood Slots at Bangor.

The background investigations for Penn's two other slots distributors, Aristocrat Technologies and International Gaming Technologies, both based in Nevada, were slam dunks. Both companies submitted complete applications. After financial and criminal background checks came back clean, they were granted permanent licenses in separate unanimous votes.

Because of the missing data, the board didn't have a legal basis for allowing a permanent license, according to an Assistant Attorney General.