May 29, 2012|By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun
"The idea is to make it as much like a manned table as we can," said Rob Norton, Maryland Live's president and general manager. For example, he said, at some of the gaming tables, bartenders will call the machine's dice rolls, "just like a real stickman."
Though the bartenders will provide social interaction, Maryland's casinos still are at a disadvantage to other states that allow human dealers, Weinberg said. Moreover, Maryland Live would want to hire another 800 people — they already plan to hire 1,500 by October — to man table games, he said.
Employment isn't the only economic impact the casino is expected to have on Maryland. Cordish projects that the casino will pay the state $400 million in tax revenue every year. Casino revenue is directed to the state's Education Trust Fund. Cordish's decision to delay the casino's opening by more than six months cost the state an estimated $70 million in expected revenue.
Maryland Live is scheduled to open Wednesday, June 6, at 10 p.m., provided regulators from the Maryland Lottery give the casino a go-ahead after a trial-run examination planned for Saturday.
If there are problems, a second inspection would happen Monday, said Carmen Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the casino.
The Maryland Lottery, which did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, is "already working side by side with us to make sure that all the games are up and talking, that all of our procedures are in place," Norton said.
Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Rector contributed to this article.
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