The Canadian company's apparent failure to comply with the legal requirements of the bidding process makes a casino at Arundel Mills more likely, a surprising twist to a contentious years-long drive by slots boosters to place slots at racetracks.
Gov. Martin O'Malley and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said this week that they would have preferred slots to be located at the track, but Cordish argues that the state, county - and even the horse-racing industry - will benefit far more under his plan. All those entities would receive a slice of slots-related tax revenue under state law.
For Anne Arundel, Cordish has teamed up with renowned casino operator Dennis Gomes, dubbed "Mr. Fix It" by a New York Times columnist for his ability to turn bankrupt casinos into cash cows.
"There is not a location in the entire country that is as good as the one they've selected," said Gomes, who has run 13 casinos.
The mall's 1.3 million square feet of retail space - including a 24-screen cinema and Medieval Times dinner theater - is already a major tourist draw that will have a symbiotic relationship with a neighboring casino, Cordish said.
Though architectural drawings are not available, Cordish says the final product will have "extensive entertainment" and might resemble a combination of his Hard Rock-themed hotels and casino in Florida and the Forum Shops at Caesars, a 160-store mall on the Las Vegas Strip owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc.
He and mall owner Simon have not determined where the casino, garage and other new buildings would be placed, but they have committed to a physical separation from the mall.
"You'll have to consciously leave the mall and go to where this will be," Cordish said. "And you have to be an adult," with age restrictions enforced by "pleasant, enormous bouncers."
Officials have called the mall the state's busiest attraction, drawing as many as 14 million visitors in a year. Many of them are families who shop for fishing tackle and bounce youngsters on coin-operated rides, and some of those who live nearby are alarmed at the prospect of a massive mall-side casino.
"It's definitely not something I want to have down the street from where I'm raising my children," said Joseline Castonos, 36, of Chapel Ridge Village.
Joi Williams, who lives in the Villages of Dorchester, said much of the neighborhood is up in arms about the proposal: "We already have enough crime in the area because of the mall" that opened in 1999 amid residents' protests.
