Casino defends hiring, drops 'resort' in name

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OXFORD — Online job listings asking for casino workers to come to Maine have rankled some, who say The Oxford Casino is putting out-of-state people ahead of Mainers.

The Oxford Casino says experienced casino workers will be needed to train people who haven't worked in gambling houses before.

In an item on the Public Gaming Research Institute's website, casino General Manager Jack Sours said the Route 26 business has “a variety of positions available, including a significant need for experienced Table Games Dealers.”

“This is a great opportunity for people who moved away from Maine seeking employment, to return to their native state,” Sours is quoted as saying.

Dennis Bailey of CasinosNO said it's evidence of what anti-casino activists have been saying since before the 2010 referendum – that casino jobs will largely go to people from away.

“It looks like the out-of-state investors are now running the show,” Bailey said in an email Monday. “I hate to say I told you so, but it appears that very few jobs at this casino will be going to Maine people.”

Scott Smith, community development director for The Oxford Casino, said that's not the case. The casino is looking for experienced casino workers to train Maine people. While Eastern Maine Community College is training dealers for table games at Hollywood Slots, Smith said The Oxford Casino will train employees in-house.

In an email to Governor LePage, a man named Ted Davis complained that the casino was looking outside of Maine for employees. He also took issue with the lack of a hotel, convention center, the removal of resort from the name and the fact that a large part of the casino is owned by a New York investment firm as opposed to local ownership.

"Although I voted for the Oxford casino in 2010, I now deeply regret that decision," he said.

CasinosNO also disseminated an email from Colleen North, who said that she and her husband applied for management positions within the casino, but were not given interviews. According to North, she has been an IT director for 25 years and her husband has 35 years of experience that qualify him for the position of facilities manager.

"The idea that was sold to Maine residents is that they would be bringing jobs in to the State of Maine. I believe that Maine residents were deceived," said North.

Smith said the casino still plans to hold job fairs in March or April. On Saturday, The Oxford Casino posted 22 openings on casinocareers.com, including security officers, dealers, a human resources clerk and management positions for purchasing, food and beverage, facilities, marketing, training and other areas.

Silverton Casino, a casino and hotel operator in Las Vegas, has been hired to run The Oxford Casino, which is scheduled to open in June. The Nevada company will be in charge of hiring executives and managers to fill key positions at the facility and determine things such as the mix of slot machines and table games, the surveillance system and even the restaurant menu, Smith has said previously.

Name announced

The Oxford casino has a logo and a name – The Oxford Casino, a scaled-down version of the earlier "four season resort and casino" phrase that was consistently used by investors in the early planning stages of the development.

Smith said the name was a nod to “the outpouring of support that we've enjoyed” from the community.

The project has been unofficially known as the "Oxford Casino" since before voters approved it in November 2010. Black Bear Development released literature shortly after the casino's approval with the name "Black Bear Four Season Resort and Casino."

"We're still very committed to the larger vision," said Smith. "It's [the name] consistent with what we have right now."

Smith said the new name “identifies its location and the host community.”

Bailey said that the scaled-back name represents a backpedaling from promises made to voters.

"They're going to make all kinds of excuses, but what they sold to the voters was a four-season resort with all the amenities and hotels, golf courses. That's what was on TV," said Bailey.

The casino released the new logo, which Smith said was the result of a lot of work by the creative department from the Silverton Casino, the Las Vegas casino that will run gaming operations for the Oxford Casino.

The Oxford Casino also sent out a survey to its mailing list, asking for people's preferences and habits when they visit casinos.

“It's a way to help us see and get feedback,” Smith said.

The survey asks if people live close to the casino, how much they would pay for an entrée, if valet parking is important, whether they would want a fast food option and other questions.