Maine State Police and the attorney general’s office said an innkeeper has not violated state law in an essay contest in which her 210-year-old country inn was the prize.
The investigation focused on whether the ‘‘Win an Inn’’ contest violated a law governing games of chance. Sergeant Michael Johnston said Tuesday that the contest was a game of skill, not one of chance.
He said that while Maine licenses games of chance, it has no laws overseeing essay contests.
Some contest losers thought the odds were stacked against them. A newly formed group, the Center Lovell Contest Fair Practices Commission, said inn owner Janice Sage marketed the contest as open to all regardless of background but awarded the prize to a couple with hospitality business experience in the Virgin Islands.
Advertisement