Mike Cianchette, second from right, owner of Oddfellahs, the state’s first in-person sports betting parlor, chats with customers in September, just after the Portland establishment opened. Oddfellahs has paused wagering after its license was revoked, but Cianchette told the Press Herald on Saturday that he doesn’t know why. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald, file

Oddfellahs Sportsbook and Bar, Maine’s first in-person sports betting parlor, announced on social media Friday that it was pausing sports betting after having its sports wagering license revoked.

Owner Michael Cianchette said Gambling Control Unit Executive Director Milton Champion informed the Portland bar that it would no longer be eligible to have a sports wagering license.

Cianchette said in a phone interview Saturday that he did not know why Oddfellahs’ license was revoked or why it happened now, more than four months after the bar and betting site opened its doors.

Oddfellahs stopped taking bets Wednesday, though the bar and restaurant is still open to customers.

In a social media post, Oddfellahs told patrons who already placed bets to hold on to their tickets.

“We are waiting for further information and will update social media once we know more,” the post said.

Cianchette said Oddfellahs has appealed the decision with the state public safety commissioner’s office and Maine Superior Court in hopes that the parlor can continue sports betting operations.

“We want to do right by our customers, by the public, so we’re hopeful that a judge will let us keep operating, and then we can go through the process and find an orderly way forward, rather than pulling the rug out from under us,” Cianchette said.

Oddfellahs opened in the Old Port in September, at the former location of The Big Easy music club.

The bar partnered with Caesars Sportsbook to conduct sports gambling. Cianchette said Oddfellahs received its gambling license in late August.

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