AUGUSTA – In an effort to make the concept of a tribal Maine casino more tangible, proponents of the plan released an artist’s rendering of the proposed gambling resort Wednesday that is reminiscent of New England’s grand hotels from the 1890s.

But those opposed to the project countered it didn’t matter if the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe housed their $500 million casino in a building that resembled the elegant Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, N.H.

“They can dress it up all they want – it’s still a barn full of slot machines that are designed to fleece Maine people out of their paychecks and that’s all it is,” said Dennis Bailey of the opposition group Casino No! “It’s a mirage. It’s a facade. They don’t show what’s inside, which is just walls and walls of slot machines.”

The artist’s rendering of the casino was a collaborative effort by a team of architects that included Patrick Chasse of Bar Harbor, Jacob Albert of Boston, and Lee Cageley of Las Vegas.

Tom Tureen, a Falmouth lawyer representing the tribes, described all three men as highly respected in their fields and credited Chasse, a Caribou native, with originating the concept.

“It is especially gratifying to work on a project like this that takes us back to our architectural traditions,” Chasse said in a prepared statement. “All too often our popular culture takes us in the opposite direction.”

Chasse’s view was shared by Richard D’Abate, executive director of the Maine Historical Society, who said that, “the gambling issue aside, I applaud the tribes for proposing a design that strives to capture the spirit of Maine’s grand old resort hotels.”

Penobscot Chief Barry Dana said the design’s nod toward Maine’s architectural history simply reflected the tribes’ determination to work with the people of the state in a long-term partnership.

Gov. Rick Doyle of the Passamaquoddy’s Pleasant Point Reservation agreed.

“The outside of the resort celebrates the traditions of all of the people of Maine,” Doyle said in a prepared statement. “Inside there will be a museum that celebrates the traditions of the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot people. We are proud of the concept.”

Tureen said as people continue to learn more about the tribes’ casino plans, it is helpful for them to have a visual image of what casino proponents have in mind. The artist’s rendering, he said, conveys the tribes’ vision of top-line restaurants, entertainment, tennis courts, golf courses and conference facilities.

The tribes have been shopping the idea of a casino to voters across Maine, promising $100 million a year in revenue to the state. The proposal has been met with stiff resistance by many communities, which fear such a gambling resort will cause crime to skyrocket and destroy what they perceive as Maine’s unique quality of life.

But a poll released Wednesday from the Portland-based Critical Insights market research group indicated that Mainers remain closely divided on the casino issue. With a margin of error of 3.4 percent, the statewide poll of 600 Mainers conducted last week concluded that 55 percent oppose the plan while 41 percent favored it. MaryEllen FitzGerald, director of the polling firm, indicated only 4 percent of those queried were undecided on the question.

“There is going to be a full year of discussion on this issue,” she said. “This is absolutely an open question as far as Mainers are concerned. There’s not even a referendum on the table yet. This thing could go either way.”