Williams said she had heard nothing about a slots parlor going to Arundel Mills until this week. She said that if slots come to Maryland, they should go to the Laurel racetrack location, where "they already have established gambling."
County Councilman Daryl Jones, a Democrat who represents the district that includes Arundel Mills, said he has "a lot of concern" about the proposed casino and plans to meet with community association presidents to discuss the matter.
Others were less concerned. Jeb Pair, 36, who said he eats at restaurants near the mall about twice a week, welcomed more entertainment options. "It would be fun," he said.
Cordish said he expected to have discussions with local officials and residents, but he expressed confidence that the required zoning changes would move through the County Council.
Leopold, the county executive, said he expects the council would find a way to allow for casinos at either the mall or Laurel Park, while accommodating the interests of residents.
At a time when gambling projects are being put on hold and major operators are facing bankruptcy, Cordish boasts of a debt load that is less than half the market value of his properties, and he said his company is "very liquid, cash-wise."
Under the law, Cordish would be required to invest at least $237.5 million in the casino, an amount he says he could "easily" pay with cash.
He estimated the entire development would come to about $1 billion and said he would be interested in adding more than the current maximum of 4,750 slot machines to an Anne Arundel casino. The slots commission could authorize that if market demand for machines in other jurisdictions is less than the legislature anticipated in 2007.
Heir to a family-run real estate business dating to 1910, David Cordish jumped into gaming when he developed two casinos for a Florida Indian tribe. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino complexes in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., opened in 2004, are considered among the more successful in the industry.
Gomes, whose early work as a Las Vegas gambling investigator was the basis for Martin Scorsese's film Casino, said he paired with Cordish because "he is one of the most dynamic developers" in the country: "I have always been able to perform way above the marketplace with gaming, and Dave has done the same thing with retail and all of his developments. I thought it would be a great, great combination."
ABOUT THE PLAN
