A $25 million expansion is in the works by casino developer Churchill Downs Inc. and will include the Oxford Casino. A new hotel will be constructed alongside the Oxford Casino and offer over 100 guest rooms as well as dining options.
The expansion will see an attached hotel added to the casino as well as an expansion of the casino gaming floor. Banquet and meeting space will be included in the plans for expansion. Churchill Downs first purchased the Oxford Casino in 2013 and spent $160 million to do so. With the new additions of the announced expansion, it marks the second time the company has expanded the Oxford property since purchasing the facility.
The casino already has over 400 employees and is known as the largest employer of the town in Maine. With the new additions, the casino will be hiring at least 60 new full time employees as well as 1,000 temporary construction positions.
As the hotel is constructed, it will be connected to the municipal sewer system which was just installed. This would provide additional revenues for the sewer project. Construction should begin in June and will hopefully be done by 2017, sometime in the summer months.
Jack Sours, the Vice President and General Manager of Oxford Casino, stated that the additions are tremendous news for the venue as well as the employees of the casino, the surrounding communities and the patrons who visit the facility from across the region. The casino is anxious to begin construction and provide guests with a new option for visiting Oxford, according to a statement in the Portland Press Herald.