AUGUSTA – After less than a year of operation, the numbers are looking good at Hollywood Slots at Bangor.

During a briefing Friday for members of the Maine Gambling Control Board, Hollywood Slots General Manager Jon Johnson said that almost 640,000 patrons had come through the doors, though he acknowledged some of those visitors likely were counted more than once or were repeat customers.

Accordingly, the wagering handle has grown consistently and dramatically since Hollywood Slots opened in November.

Since the Bangor racino opened nine months ago, it has seen a cumulative total handle of $369.1 million, he said.

After its first month of operation, the handle, also known as the “coin-in” in gaming industry circles, amounted to $28.5 million. July’s handle had almost doubled to $51.7 million.

But that’s not to say that patrons spent that many dollars at the Bangor racino.

As a rule of thumb, he said, a patron spending $20 at the racino typically ends up playing $1,800 after putting winnings back into the machines.

Johnson’s month-by-month comparison showed that the handle has grown each month from month to month, with the exception of April, a relatively short month that included Easter, one of the two holidays the racino closes each year. The other is Christmas.

Penn National’s earnings, which amount to about 6.5 percent of its wagering handle, also have increased, jumping from $1.9 million at the end of November to last’s month’s $3.9 million.

Since the facility opened, the staff at Hollywood Slots has checked an estimated 22,000 identifications and denied entry to 910 people, either because their identifications looked fake, because they were under 21 years old, or because they were visibly intoxicated upon their arrival.