Casino

The state commission charged with awarding a casino license in Prince George's County will call for proposals at a meeting in Annapolis on Jan. 31. Don Fry, the group's chairman, anticipates setting a due date in May and, depending on the number and nature of the applicants, awarding the license no later than the end of the year. MGM Resorts, a partner in a proposed $800 million project to be built near National Harbor, will begin work on its proposal as soon as the request is made, spokesman Gordon Absher said.

The Cordish Cos., which developed and runs Maryland Live Casino at Arundel Mills mall, applied Tuesday for a gambling license in Massachusetts, the company said in a statement. PPE Casino Resorts MA LLC, a company affiliated with Cordish's principals, is "still evaluating several excellent sites" in Massachusetts and has yet to determine whether it wants a license for a slots-only casino or a resort venue with table games, the statement said. "We are very enthusiastic about the Massachusetts market," said Joe Weinberg, a Cordish executive, in the statement.

Maryland's three casinos generated $45.2 million in revenue in December, with most of that from the state's largest and newest casino, Maryland Live — and at the expense of the state's oldest. Last month, Maryland Live took in $35.9 million, or a daily average of $244.15 per machine, according to figures released Monday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. The Arundel Mills casino operates 4,750 slot machines and electronic table games. The Arundel Mills casino opened in June.

When 2 a.m. came Friday, the sound of coins hitting metal — electronically replicated, of course, since the slot machines pay out with a printed ticket — continued at Maryland Live casino. About 1,000 people stayed where they were, plugging money into the video terminals and ordering drinks. Terry Cohen of Randallstown was there to celebrate the new schedule that will keep the casino open 24 hours a day. "There's nothing to do around here at night," she said. "The town shuts down.

Maryland Live Casino will open Thursday at 8 a.m. and, according to officials, "never close again. " The Hanover facility, located adjacent to the Arundel Mills Mall, is the only one of the state's three casinos that requested full-time operation from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. The passing of Question 7 during the November election made it legal for casinos in the state to operate 24 hours a day. Maryland Live had previous closed at 2 a.m. on weeknights and 4 a.m. on weekends.

City officials are expected to sign off Wednesday on a deal that promises to help residents seeking the 1,700 jobs planned for Horseshoe Casino Baltimore — addressing one of the main arguments made by gambling supporters in the debate over expanding casinos in Maryland. A Caesars Entertainment subsidiary has agreed to fund a temporary employee in the mayor's employment development office to lead hiring efforts in Baltimore, to print informational materials targeting potential employees in the city, and to report twice a year to city officials on hiring progress toward its workforce development plan.

Maryland's casinos will be allowed to open 24 hours a day under new regulations approved Thursday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission that also relaxed limits on ATMs and lending to gamblers in the facilities. With the advent of full-scale casino gambling in Maryland after voters approved table games in the November election, the commission is updating the regulatory regime and relaxing some restrictions. The changes also added new rules, including some governing junkets that casinos provide to high-rolling gamblers.

Maryland Live casino in Anne Arundel County announced plans to begin operating 24-hours per day starting Dec. 27. The move, made legal by the passing of Question 7, must first be approved by the state. Casino officials believe they'll get the OK next week. Robert J. Norton, president and general manager of the casino, said in a news release that the casino continues to prepare for the arrival of 150 live table games early next year. Passage of the referrendum spurred Maryland Live to hire 1,200 additional employees; about 140 of them will be in place by Dec. 27 to handle the expanded hours.

Why are all these casinos being built with all the unemployed people living here in the United States? Sure, the housing may be on the upswing, but that doesn't say or mean that more people have more money. Yes, casinos may be competing with another, but more casinos will make more people poorer. Yes, a few might get rich, but how many of these people will know when to say, "Stop. " More casinos will bring more gangs and add to the population in the gangs already here. Who pays for these casinos?

Two Anne Arundel County lawmakers want to protect millions in expected gambling money from being spent in neighborhoods away from the state's largest casino. Their proposed bill would siphon Anne Arundel's local impact grants, which are estimated to total $117 million over the next five years, into a separate account dedicated to improvements near Arundel Mills mall. "I'm trying to hold ourselves to a standard so we can say to the public that we got this money, and this is what we spent it on," said Councilman Peter I. Smith, a Democrat from Severn whose district includes Maryland Live Casino in Hanover.