Washington-Baltimore corridor would have 13,250 machines
Three casinos proposed for the Washington-Baltimore region would be among the largest slots emporiums in the country.
Parlors planned for Baltimore and Anne Arundel County would have 4,750 and 3,750 slots machines, respectively, while the proposed $1 billion casino at National Harbor proposed by Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker would have 4,750 slot machines.
| So many slots |
| Casinos proposed locally each would have more slot machines than any casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, N.J. |
| Maryland |
| Prince George’s: 4,750 |
| Anne Arundel (Maryland Live): 4,750 |
| Baltimore: 3,750 |
| Las Vegas |
| Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa: 3,010 |
| The Venetian: 2,774 |
| Bellagio: 2,250 |
| Atlantic City |
| Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa: 3,475 |
| Bally’s Atlantic City: 3,268 |
| Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City: 2,844 |
Each location would have more slot machines than any casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, considered the gambling capitals of the country.
The Borgota Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City has 3,475 slot machines, while the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas has the most slots of any casino in the city — just 3,010, according to state officials in New Jersey and Nevada.
If all three local casinos come to fruition — officials are still accepting bids for Baltimore, and lawmakers must pass legislation to allow a casino in Prince George’s — Maryland would have legalized 13,250 slots in a 50-mile stretch from D.C. to Baltimore.
That’s far too many slots too close together, experts say.
“The biggest problem with the gambling industry today is that politicians and regulators have no sense of reality anymore,” said Alan Woinski, president of Gaming USA Corp., who added there may not be enough gambling dollars to go around the state.
Maryland is already struggling to earn money at the two casinos the state has opened. Hollywood Casino Perryville and the Casino at Ocean Downs generated $103 million in total revenue in fiscal 2011, way below 2007 projections for $157 million in revenue. Together, the casinos brought in $15 million in February, according to the Maryland State Lottery Agency.
Prince George’s officials say their proposal creates more than just a slots barn. Even if every state in the country were to build casinos, their plan would stand out, said Brad Frome, Baker’s deputy chief of staff.
But it would be premature to plan a casino in Prince George’s before allowing the Cordish Cos. to open Maryland Live at Arundel Mills, scheduled for this summer, Woinski said.
“There’s too many casinos everywhere, and it’s driving down projected revenues,” David Cordish, president of the Cordish Cos. “That’s what these gaming experts are saying. They’re already laughing at the [Senate gambling] bill.”
Baltimore, too, should be given a chance to try its hand in the casino market before the state shifts plans, gambling experts said.
“To have the rules changed on them just as they’re about to open, you’ve got to question if that’s fair and what it says to future investors,” said Frank Fantini, president of Fantini Research, a publishing service for the industry.
Only a radical overhaul of the state’s tax structure for slots revenues could convince investors and state officials to allow a casino in Prince George’s, Cordish said. Plans to expand gambling by legalizing table games such as blackjack at all casinos in Maryland aren’t enough to sweeten the pot, he said.
The Peterson Cos., developers of National Harbor, are trying to sway votes in the General Assembly by hiring W. Minor Carter, a lobbyist with close ties to members of the House of Delegates. The company had already hired Tim Perry, a top Annapolis lobbyist and former chief of staff to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
