For instance, a recent report examining gaming in Massachusetts, whose income and other economic indicators Karmel says are more comparable to Maryland than West Virginia, found that the average salary for employees is $35,000.
"I'm guessing that the average wage levels and average incomes in West Virginia are lower than Maryland," Karmel said, who blogs at gamingatlantic.com.
Of the four racinos in West Virginia, one is Penn National's Charles Town Races and Slots, which is popular with Marylanders.
Penn National also is the sole bidder for the Cecil County license, one of five locations statewide approved for slots. The commission also is reviewing applications for parlors to be built in Baltimore, Anne Arundel County and on the Eastern Shore.
Eric Schippers, Penn National's senior vice president of public affairs, disputed the study's findings, noting that the average employee at Charles Town makes $40,000 a year.
Schippers anticipates its bid for Cecil County, if approved, would create about 550 construction jobs as well as 600 full-time jobs associated with the casino operations. The average salary would be $40,000.
"What's exciting about this project for us is that we think it'll bring additional third-party investments in this area and help capture some of the gaming patrons who are crossing the border to Delaware and Pennsylvania and repatriate these benefits for Maryland," he said.
Jonathan Cordish, vice president of The Cordish Cos., which wants to build a 4,750-machine slots parlor near Arundel Mills Mall, said in an e-mail that using West Virginia's wages as representative of Maryland or elsewhere is flawed.
Cordish cited a January study by the University of Massachusetts, which found that gaming workers without a college education at casinos enjoy higher pay and better benefits than workers in non-gaming jobs.
Cordish said its project would create 2,500 construction jobs and 1,500 casino-related jobs with benefits.
"Our project will lead to significant spin-off economic benefit for the region, as well as over $30 million per year in new taxes revenues to Anne Arundel County and over $400 million in total gaming taxes statewide," he said.
Other bidders for Maryland slots licenses did not return phone calls or could not be reached Tuesday.
