Maryland Live Back on Top After Taking Wind Out of MGM National Harbor’s Sails

Maryland Live Back on Top After Taking Wind Out of MGM National Harbor’s Sails

Maryland Live is once again the top casino in their state following the Arundel Mills resort generated more gaming revenue during the thirty days of February than its new rival MGM National Harbor.

Maryland Live, billed as the family friendly casino in comparison to MGM National Harbor, saw the most gambling money come through its doors during February.

Collectively, hawaii’s six gambling enterprises pulled in $128.7 million in gross gaming win, Maryland’s second-best performance that is all-time. The record mark arrived in December after the grand opening of National Harbor led to a victory of $133.5 million.

Maryland Live’s revenue totaled $46.29 million month that is last narrowly edging MGM’s property that sits simply outside Washington, DC, at $45.77 million. The two casinos represented the lion’s share of gaming earnings, with Horseshoe Baltimore coming in a distant third with $22 million.

Three smaller regional gambling facilities, Hollywood Casino Perryville, Rocky Gap Casino Resort, plus the Casino at Ocean Downs, posted a combined $14.6 million.

The Cordish Companies, the parent organization of reside that is headquartered in Maryland, credited its ‚family approach‘ for the home retaking the top spot. The group also says being locally owned allows it to provide a better experience to customers, in what’s certainly a slight jab at MGM in a statement.

Mixed Outcomes

The February gambling report represents a 38 percent increase on the same month in 2016. Casinos took $35.4 million more income throughout the month that is shortest of the season, but the information also highlights plenty of concerns for Maryland gaming.

Excluding MGM’s $1.4 billion resort, gambling was actually down more than 11 percent. Even though Maryland Live is championing its February triumph, in truth the casino amassed 14.3 % less revenue year-over-year.

February Maryland Live’s $46.29 million is down $7.72 million compared to last. And conditions couldn’t have already been riper for strong revenues, as the month had been certainly one of the warmest on record.

Since MGM announced its intends to build National Harbor, Maryland Live has been scrambling to make sure its property remained competitive from the behemoth outside of DC in Oxford Hill. Live and National Harbor are about 35 kilometers apart, but both are competing for the DC that is wealthy and Virginia demographic.

Maryland Live announced the construction of the 17-story hotel tower with 310 guest rooms last summer time. MGM National Harbor offers 308 hotel rooms.

National Harbor Underwater?

MGM’s casino that is latest to start in the usa had been downright packed during its opening month. The resort asked would-be visitors to stay away unless they’d a reservation.

Just 3 months later, enthusiasm and excitement has seemingly calmed.

In the opening days, a nightly stay at the hotel ran between $399 and $599. But midweek prices are now as low as $229, though weekends are nevertheless in the range that is prior.

MGM likely isn’t too focused on the gaming report february. While Live continues to fret throughout the competition, MGM CEO Jim Murren has over and over stated that the property seeks to be a destination resort for not merely gamblers but also visitors towards the nation’s money.

Casino Bus Crash Kills Four, Charter Safety Concerns Continue

A casino bus crash in Mississippi has killed four passengers and injured 40 more, seven critically.

A casino bus crash in Mississippi allegedly became stuck on a railroad track, and tragedy hit when an approaching train collided with the charter vehicle. (Image: Kevin McGill/Associated Press)

The incident occurred in Biloxi following the coach reportedly became stuck while trying to cross train tracks. Moments later, a freight train traveling at boosts to 45 MPH collided with the bus and pressed it some 300 foot before coming to a stop.

According to reports that are local the bus was touring regional casinos in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The bus was traveling from the Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis to the Boomtown Casino in Biloxi at the time of the crash. That is about an hour’s drive east.

The excursion that is weeklong organized by a senior citizens‘ center in Texas. While investigators say it’s not instantly clear whether or not the bus incurred mechanical problems, the location where the accident happened has road signs warning drivers of low ground approval.

The names of this victims, and whether the driver was one of the fatalities, wasn’t released.

Charter Gambling

The casino bus crash comes not as much as five months after a California gambling trip ended in tragedy. In October, 13 passengers aboard a trip bus had been killed after the driver slammed in to the straight back of an 18-wheeler semi-truck on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs.

In that incident, passengers paid around $30 for round-trip fare and slot that is free from Los Angeles to a remote casino near Salton City called Red Earth.

Tour organizations and regional casinos usually reach agreements where gambling establishments provide slot money to passengers arriving on certain charters and pay the bus company a small stipend that is per-customer.

This is why busses like the main one involved in the Palm Springs accident drive great lengths, passing multiple casinos into the process, to arrive at a location like Red Earth.

Growing Concern

Following fall that is last tragedy in California, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the rise of casino bus accidents was a serious concern to the federal agency that is tasked with investigating civil accidents.

In mid-January, a Greyhound motorcoach crashed in San Jose, California, and killed two passengers. But fatalities aboard chartered busses remain relatively rare contrasted to other modes of transportation.

In line with the NTSB, in 2015 just 49 bus passengers were killed in highway accidents. Passenger cars and trucks that are light vans accounted for over 22,400 deaths.

The NTSB is in Mississippi to investigate this week’s crash. Back home at its Washington, DC, headquarters, the agency is trying to determine if more stringent oversight of coach charter companies is necessary.

In 2013, the NTSB publicly scolded inspectors at the Federal engine Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for failing to detect clear and safety that is significant on busses that passed inspections.

‚Our investigators found that most of the time, poor people company that is performing on FMCSA’s radar for violations, but ended up being allowed to continue operating . . . until they had crashes that are deadly‘ the NTSB said at the time.

Former US Secretary of the Interior Salazar Warns Connecticut Over Satellite Casino

Kenneth Salazar, US Secretary to the inside under Barack Obama, has warned Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy over ‚legal dangers‘ regarding the state’s proposition to permit the construction of a tribal casino outside sovereign tribal lands.

Ken Salazar, previous US Secretary to your Interior, now MGM consultant, believes that Connecticut will struggle to receive approval that is federal a new casino cope with the Mohegan and Mashantucket tribes. (Image: Politico.com)

Salazar, that is a paid up consultant for MGM Resorts Overseas, informed the governor that the proposed ’satellite‘ casino could jeopardize the state’s revenue-sharing agreements aided by the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans, which run the Foxwoods and Mohegan Casinos in south Connecticut, that could cost hawaii billions within the long run.

MGM is desperate to halt Connecticut’s plans to just establish a casino 13 kilometers south associated with MGM Springfield, currently under construction across the border in Massachusetts.

The Connecticut casino has been conceived purely as a method to blunt MGM Springfield’s competitive edge contrary to the Connecticut casino sector and to protect Connecticut jobs.

MGM has made no secret of the fact it expects a large portion of footfall because of its own casino that is new come from Connecticut residents.

Borderline Legal

The satellite casino is controversial plan because the Connecticut legislature would have to pass a law permitting the two tribes, understood collectively as MMCT, to operate the state’s first ever casino outside tribal lands. The tribes would be the only entities allowed by law to operate casinos in their state.

MGM has sued Connecticut on the grounds that this is unconstitutional plus in violation of the Commerce Clause since it bars rivals that are out-of-state competing to develop casinos in the state, discriminating, says MGM, in benefit of the 2 tribes.

The casino giant even attempted to obtain an amendment added to a federal defense bill that would have forbidden Native American tribes from running gambling enterprises inside their home state outside their reservations nonetheless it ended up being scuttled by vigilant congressman from Connecticut.

But the concern of legality lingers, and last week Governor Malloy requested that hawaii AG George Jepsen prepare an official viewpoint on the legal ramifications of the proposition and to assess the odds of MGM successfully blocking it within the courts.

Substantial Risk

Salazar’s intervention on behalf of MGM, then cleopatra treasure slot, is well-timed. Writing in an open letter addressed to Malloy, dated March 7, he writes that the 25 percent revenue share which includes existed between the state plus the tribes for just two decades will be threatened, inspite of the reality that MMCT has proposed amendments to your agreements that would ensure the payments to the state wouldn’t normally stop.

‚Under federal law … amendments to a gaming that is tribal need approval by the U.S. Department of Interior, which I led for five years through the Obama management,‘ wrote Salazar.

‚Based on that experience ( and on my work on Native American legal things), in my opinion there is a substantial risk that the tribe’s proposed amendments will never receive the requisite approval, in which instance Connecticut’s entitlement to the 25-percent income stream would likely terminate.‘

AN MMCT spokesman was unmoved by the contents associated with letter. ‚MGM is willing to pay anybody and every person to stop our project from going ahead he said because they know our proposal is going to keep revenue and jobs in Connecticut.

Glenn Straub Ups Attacks on Atlantic City, Says New Jersey ‚Rapes‘ Businesses

Glenn Straub states whenever you come to New Jersey, business owners ‚have to take all your clothing off‘ and enable the state to take advantage that is full. ‚They do not know how to maybe not rape you,‘ he opined.

Glenn Straub (middle), seen here at a Casino Control Commission meeting last month, is not used to Atlantic City, but it doesn’t mean the Florida-based businessman is going to play by New Jersey’s rules. (Image: Atlantic City Primetime)

Yep, Straub just went there. The developer that is florida-based officially removed any politically correct buffer he might have had in describing Atlantic City. Chatting aided by the Associated Press, Straub lambasted the government and casino regulators in the Garden State.

Asked why he isn’t willing to play by the rules which have been set forth, such as playing the program that is PILOT re payment instead of fees), Straub replied, ‚I’d be broke. They’re trying to help make me do exactly what my predecessors did.‘

Straub purchased the shuttered Revel Atlantic City, a resort that cost $2.4 billion to make, for $82 million in bankruptcy court. But since his acquisition nearly two years ago, the businessman has engaged in a series of fights with the state’s Casino Control Commission (CCC) and Atlantic City’s neighborhood leaders.

Straub argues he doesn’t need a casino license since he’s going to be leasing their gambling flooring to a third-party that is currently in the process of obtaining a CCC permit.

But that does not adhere to Atlantic City laws. Morris Bailey received a license on their behalf for their Resorts Casino despite also hiring a vendor to run the gaming space.

Layers of Bureaucracy

Straub’s frustrations aren’t out from the norm with regards to business that is doing Atlantic City. The beachfront gambling town is infamous because of its complicated regulatory environment.

The Casino Control Commission, Division of Gaming Enforcement, and Casino Reinvestment Development Authority are all involved in licensing properties, but owners that are incoming often confused as to which agency is actually in control. Muddying the process may be the known fact that the city it self is responsible for building inspections and infrastructure projects.

Mayor Don Guardian (R) has been trying to assist owners navigate the complex burdens. The controversial mayor who is at the center for the state’s takeover of this neighborhood federal government says he regularly meets with owners who have invested at the least $1 million in the city.

 

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