Maryland’s first casino opens early
Washington Business Journal - by Tucker Echols
Maryland’s first casino opened Monday, three days ahead of its scheduled opening date, after a test of gaming systems on Saturday proved successful.
Casino operator Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) will still hold its grand opening of the Hollywood Casino Perryville on Thursday as planned, but saw no reason to hold back once the first of Maryland’s slots parlors was cleared for business.
Maryland officials are counting on slots to contribute significantly to state and local tax revenue. Since gambling operations are up and running in states surrounding Maryland, every day not open is a day of lost revenue. Penn National CEO Peter Carlino said he expects the Perryville casino to capture a high percentage of the players who travel to Delaware casinos. He estimates that more than 40 percent of the players who now gamble in Delaware are from Maryland.
Hollywood Casino Perryville features 1,500 slot machines purchased or leased by the Maryland State Lottery. The facility, which took $97.5 million to build, employs over 350 workers. It is located 30 minutes north of Baltimore just off Interstate 95 at Exit 93 for Perryville and Port Deposit.
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