A little bit of everything
Maryland’s fifth casino, the Horseshoe Casino, is hiring 1,700 workers as it prepares for its opening in Baltimore Aug. 26. And thousands of people have been showing up at jobs fairs to apply
Read moreExcept for the Preakness, the crowds at Pimlico Race Course and other Maryland tracks continue to decline as customers flock to casinos, which provide subsidies to the ailing horse racing industry.
Read moreThat 2012 referendum on gambling had propelled Maryland’s schools into the spotlight of a multimillion-dollar campaign where supporters touted the message that more gambling would be a win for education.
But the measure, approved by voters that fall, has actually worked to send more money to the casino companies in fiscal year 2014 than to the education fund that was established when the state first legalized casino gambling in
Read moreState lottery revenue dropped for the first time in 16 years — $1.7 billion, or 2 percent, in fiscal 2013. The state budget predicts another drop this year.
The “likely cause is the increased competition from casinos,” according to a Maryland General Assembly budget analysis. Another state report found what “appears to be a direct correlation” between a drop in instant ticket sales and retailers’ proximity to a casino
Read moreDancers entertain tourists at Port Lucaya Marketplace, Grand Bahama. (Larry Luxner) Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of
Read moreFull disclosure: It was difficult catching Macy Gray on Monday. A mid-morning call was pushed to an early afternoon call,
Read moreSocial justice activists staged a spirited rally Saturday in South Baltimore, near the future site of Caesar’s new Horseshoe Casino,
Read moreTwo Maryland think tanks are proposing that the state charge a license fee as high as $500 million for new National Harbor Casino, saying anything less, such as the current $18 million license fee, “would be a giveaway, corporate welfare, or taxpayer rip-off.”
Read moreIn the battle for expanded casino gambling, they brought out the big political guns Thursday to persuade hundreds of residents of the large Leisure World retirement community in Montgomery County that ads against Question 7 ads are misleading and dishonest. Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Sen. Roger Manno — all Democrats — told the seniors that building a world-class casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County will have positive impacts on the state’s economy and education funding.
Read moreIn a mostly party-line, 13-to-7 vote Monday night, the House of Delegates Ways & Means Committee approved gaming expansion legislation that included what had been the major stumbling block for House leaders when they derailed a similar deal back in June. The bill gives tax breaks for casino operators just three months after legislators approved income tax hikes on 300,000 Marylanders.
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