First casino opens, but Anne Arundel slots in limbo

Gov. Martin O’Malley pulled the ceremonial first slots lever Sept. 30 at the grand opening of Maryland’s first casino, 3 days after Hollywood Casino Perryville’s 1,500 slots opened for business.

A second casino with 750 slots is slated to open in December at Ocean Downs, in Worcester County.

But Maryland’s most lucrative slots site, of the five approved for slots in a 2008 statewide referendum, is stuck in a electoral battle in Anne Arundel County. A county referendum — called Question A — on Nov. 2 will determine whether the casino proposed being built near Arundel Mills mall, licensed for 4,750 machines, gets the go-ahead or the boot.

“It’s the No. 1 proposal for funding vital services like fire and police, and the education trust fund,” said Todd Lamb, the campaign manager for Jobs and Revenue for Anne Arundel County, a pro-slots group. “There is no road map for bringing revenue to our county without going forward with Question A.”

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First slots parlor gets state license, will open earlier

Maryland's first slots casino is officially cleared to open its doors to the public Monday — 3 days ahead of schedule — after state officials issued the Hollywood Casino of Perryville an operating license.

Maryland Lottery Director Stephen Martino signed the license Sunday evening allowing Penn National Gaming, the owner of the casino, to begin operations after a successful trial run of the facility on Saturday.

"Everything is a go and we will open at 8 a.m.," said Marc DeLeo, director of marketing at the casino. "We’ll open our doors as the first casino in the state. We passed all the tests, and they gave us the go ahead."

Hollywood Casino was originally scheduled to open Thursday, and still has plans to hold grand opening events that day. Monday's "soft" opening is slated for 8 a.m.

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Md. casino to open next week

After years of bitter debate and numerous setbacks, Maryland could actually have an operating slots casino this time next week.

Members of a state commission were greeted Wednesday by the sounds of whirring and dinging as they entered the nearly complete Hollywood Casino Perryville in the northeastern corner of Maryland, a 1,500-machine facility scheduled to make its public debut next Thursday.

Technicians scampered among the machines on the gaming floor. Minor construction remained to be done inside the cavernous, art deco structure, where oversize movie posters were suspended from the ceiling. And some major landscaping still must be completed.

But representatives from the casino, owned by Penn National Gaming, insisted they’re on schedule for a grand opening with dignitaries including Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who has championed the state's slots program and is up for reelection in less than 6 weeks.

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