by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — The question of whether a casino will be approved in Oxford, Maine — which would have an impact on the proposed racino in Biddeford, Maine approved yesterday by voters there — remains up in the air.

With more than 90 percent of the statewide vote counted as of 8 a.m. today, as reported by the Portland Press-Herald, the “yes” votes led the “no” votes by a 257,616-to-248,980 margin. Proponents of the Oxford casino out-spent opponents by a 5-1 margin during the campaign. The measure passed by a wide margin in Oxford, where the unemployment rate is the highest in the state.

The vote is important to Scarborough Downs’ planned moved to Biddeford because the Oxford measure paints a 100-mile casino or racino-free circle around the Oxford project. Thus, if the Oxford measure passes, the Biddeford project would need both an exemption from the exclusion zone provision — and enabling legislation passed by state government.