Maryland Opens State’s First Casino – Three Days Early
Hollywood Casino
Yesterday saw the first casino in Maryland open its doors to gamers – fully three days early and four weeks ahead of original estimates on the project. It seems Penn National Gaming has pulled off quite a coup with its Hollywood Casino Perryville to give the state quite a start in its new enterprise.
The new Hollywood Casino represents a total investment of $97.5 million and the facility, described by local media as “designed in classic 1930s Hollywood art deco style” has 1,500 slot machines installed plus six electronic table games in video roulette, three-card poker and blackjack card games. More than 350 full-time employees staff the casino’s 75,000 square feet.
The addition of Hollywood Casino in Maryland gives Penn National Gaming a 23rd casino and 16th state to add to its impressive management portfolio.
In approving the casino, the Maryland state government hopes to profit from its citizens’ gambling, as current estimates show that up to 40% of gamblers in nearby Delaware casinos are from Maryland. And marketers are also hoping to appeal to players in Baltimore and downtown Washington, D.C., which are 30 minutes’ and 75 minutes’ drive from the Hollywood.
Hollywood Casino has no concrete plans to add more games, but surely more blackjack casino games and poker table offerings are not far off.
Welcome to the club, Maryland!
is it me or a lot more casinos are now opening in states that previously didnt have any?
could this be the side effect of recession where govt is trying various new ways to raise money. a bit immoral though. after watching people go broke (and as a result having a much smaller budget), the govt decides to allow opening of new casinos. which is just another way of parting people with even more money. its only going to escalate the problem…
Welcome to the club, Maryland!
is it me or a lot more casinos are now opening in states that previously didnt have any?
could this be the side effect of recession where govt is trying various new ways to raise money. a bit immoral though. after watching people go broke (and as a result having a much smaller budget), the govt decides to allow opening of new casinos. which is just another way of parting people with even more money. its only going to escalate the problem…