Maryland Live

Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, which will become the state's fourth operating casino when it opens later this year, will hold a job fair Saturday, Feb. 23 to fill about 250 full- and part-time jobs. The fair will be held at Allegany College of Maryland's Cumberland Campus in the Continuing Education Building and runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Human resources representatives from the hotel will be looking for candidates in many areas of the operation, including food service and casino gaming.

A 24-hour charity marathon raised more than $600,000 for Anne Arundel County nonprofit groups this week. The "Great Give," organized by the Community Foundation for Anne Arundel County, encouraged donors to give to their favorite charities through a special website between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 p.m. Thursday. The event was capped with a party at Rams Head Center Stage at the Maryland Live! casino in Hanover. During the event, bonuses were give to the charities through contests,such as having the most donors overall or the most donors during certain time periods.

Cards started turning and dice began rolling early Thursday morning at Maryland Live, already the largest slots casino in the Mid-Atlantic. Opened just 10 months ago, the casino next to an Anne Arundel County outlet mall rakes in more money from slot machines than any other casino from New Jersey to West Virginia, including those in Atlantic City. And now it has added table games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat, taking a big step toward becoming the Mid-Atlantic's dominant full-scale casino.

The Powerball prize, at $600 million, is now the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history, tempting many Marylanders to buy tickets for the lottery game before the Saturday night drawing. "We expect there will be brisk sales both [Friday and Saturday]," said Stephen L. Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery. The only multi-state jackpot in the U.S. that was larger was the Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012, which reached $656 million before it was split by three winning tickets.

On June 24, 2011, a middle-aged Harford County woman drove to the Hollywood Casino in Perryville to give authorities permission to arrest her for trespassing if she ever set foot again in one of Maryland's casinos. Before she signed the paperwork she wanted one last taste and lost hundreds of dollars at slot machines. "I considered it my last hurrah. That I was going to gamble and then I was going to sign myself out," said the 50-year-old woman, before a recent Gamblers Anonymous meeting at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa.

David Cordish seems to have set up a winner with the Maryland Live! casino in Arundel Mills ("Maryland Live! casino opens its doors," June 7), but the name that comes to my mind is much older: Millard Tawes. He was a governor, like many, the state would have been much better without. His "I know what is good for people" attitude took slot machines away from Maryland in the mid '60s, so instead of being the East Coast leader in allowing people to enjoy gaming, the state became a terrible also ran. Steven Sass, Baltimore

This seems to be the time of year that employers with exclamation points in their names hold job fairs! Good news for job seekers! Maryland Live! Casino is holding its meet-and-greet with candidates on Saturday, March 17 - or St. Pat's - from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Maryland Live! Employment Center, 7270 Park Circle in Hanover. Or, you can go to the casino's Facebook page and apply online ahead of time . Maryland Live! Casino says applicants should apply via its job site . Then on Wednesday, March 21, Power Plant Live!

Maryland Live! Casino announced Tuesday that gambling industry veteran Robert J. Norton has been named president and general manager of the slots parlor under construction at Arundel Mills mall. Previously, Norton was an executive at MTR Gaming Group, which owns casino and racetrack facilities in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Norton also spent 12 years in various management positions with Isle of Capri casinos. Baltimore developer Cordish Cos. is developing the 4,750-machine casino in Anne Arundel County.

Workers who have “that certain something” are being invited to apply online for a job with the casino now going up in Arundel Mills. In its pitch for employees, the casino's site says: “Are you ambitious and outgoing? Do you thoroughly enjoy people and are not afraid to smile? Does doing a good job and getting fairly compensated for it excite you? Then you just may be the person we are looking for to work at the new and exciting Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills.” Right now, the casino is looking to fill certain management positions such as controller, vice president of legal affairs, regulatory and compliance officer and accounts payable supervisor.

Maryland Live officials often tout the Hanover facility's standing as the highest-grossing casino in the Mid-Atlantic when only slots revenue is taken into account. In fact, the casino has been generating 25 percent more slots revenue than the second-place casino, Parx in Philadelphia. Maryland Live is situated amid some of the country's wealthiest counties, and faces only far-flung competition: Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, W.Va., is 75 minutes away, while the much smaller Hollywood Casino in Perryville is an hour up Interstate 95. Parx competes with five other casinos that take no longer than an hour and 15 minutes to reach.

The course is "Introduction to Casino Gambling," but upon entering the classroom, one might be tempted to place a bet at the roulette wheel, the craps table or any of the other table game layouts. As he stared at the roulette wheel, Christopher Lamb of Elkridge, a student who has taken one week of the Anne Arundel Community College course, could scarcely contain his excitement at the thought of working in a casino. "It is an amazing game, just on gambling and chance, and who knows where the ball is going to land?

Table games at Maryland Live Casino generated $8.4 million in revenue in their first month at the Anne Arundel County facility, on top of $38.2 million from its slot machines, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency reported Monday. While overall revenue at Maryland Live was up $1.95 million in April from March, revenue from slots fell about $6.45 million in April from the month before. By far the largest of Maryland's casinos, Maryland Live operates 4,217 slot machines and 122 table games.

Maryland Live officials often tout the Hanover facility's standing as the highest-grossing casino in the Mid-Atlantic when only slots revenue is taken into account. In fact, the casino has been generating 25 percent more slots revenue than the second-place casino, Parx in Philadelphia. Maryland Live is situated amid some of the country's wealthiest counties, and faces only far-flung competition: Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, W.Va., is 75 minutes away, while the much smaller Hollywood Casino in Perryville is an hour up Interstate 95. Parx competes with five other casinos that take no longer than an hour and 15 minutes to reach.

Cards started turning and dice began rolling early Thursday morning at Maryland Live, already the largest slots casino in the Mid-Atlantic. Opened just 10 months ago, the casino next to an Anne Arundel County outlet mall rakes in more money from slot machines than any other casino from New Jersey to West Virginia, including those in Atlantic City. And now it has added table games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat, taking a big step toward becoming the Mid-Atlantic's dominant full-scale casino.

The state's largest casino plans to open 122 table games to the public at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Maryland Live, in Hanover, will become the second of the state's three operating casinos to take advantage of expanded gambling laws passed by voters in November. Hollywood Casino in Perryville began operating 20 table games March 6 and brought in nearly $1.5 million from them last month. Officials from the state's lottery and gaming agency watched a controlled demonstration of the table game operations Friday, and were scheduled to spend more time at the facility through Tuesday night.

Maryland Live brought in more than $38.3 million in revenue in February - a new record by $2 million - despite a shortened month and the temporary removal of 700 video lottery terminals to accommodate table games. In all, Maryland's casinos brought in $47.8 million, the second-highest amount since last July, which was Maryland Live's first full month of operations. All but $15.8 million of the money brought in by casinos went back to the state. Hollywood Casino in Perryville generated a little less than $6 million, representing a drop of 48 percent year-over-year.

Phillips Seafood will open a location at Maryland Live, the Cordish Cos.' $500 million casino and entertainment complex under construction at Arundel Mills. Cordish chairman David Cordish made the announcement at a Tuesday afternoon ribbon-cutting at Phillips new restaurant at the the Power Plant, a Cordish-operated retail, restaurant and office complex in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The addition of Phillips to Maryland Live marks a quick blossoming in the relationship between Cordish and Phillips.

The course is "Introduction to Casino Gambling," but upon entering the classroom, one might be tempted to place a bet at the roulette wheel, the craps table or any of the other table game layouts. As he stared at the roulette wheel, Christopher Lamb of Elkridge, a student who has taken one week of the Anne Arundel Community College course, could scarcely contain his excitement at the thought of working in a casino. "It is an amazing game, just on gambling and chance, and who knows where the ball is going to land?

The company that spent $42 million in a failed attempt to block expanded gambling in Maryland will be the first to introduce table games in the state. Hollywood Casino, owned by Penn National, got preliminary permission Tuesday to operate 20 table games starting March 7 at the facility in Perryville, in Cecil County. Maryland Live, the state's largest casino, plans to offer table games April 11. Crews are working to move thousands of slot machines as the floor is reconfigured to accommodate 122 table games.