It also has the backing of Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.Ĭounty Councilwoman Mary Lehman cast the only vote against the plan. The casino won the support of Maryland voters in a 2012 ballot question.

“We are, I think, on the precipice of a substantial step forward in economic development in Prince George’s County,” said County Councilman Mel Franklin, who chairs the panel. Work on grading the site at National Harbor already has started, and MGM hopes to move swiftly to get permits needed to begin construction to build the casino in time for a 2016 opening. Members of the Prince George’s County District Council, which decides land use and zoning matters, expressed support for the plan as a major economic development engine. The casino, which will be designed to hold 3,600 slot machines and 140 table games such as blackjack, could open as early as July 2016.

Prince George’s County officials on Monday approved a building plan for a $925 million MGM Resorts International casino and hotel near the nation’s capital on an 8-1 vote, paving the way for MGM to get the permits needed to begin construction. This led to the opening of the state’s first fully-fledged casino in Perryville in 2010, while the remodeled Oceans Downs racino quickly followed during the next 12 months.Ģ012 A further referendum followed in 2012, in which voters approved the legalization of table games at all six Maryland casino resorts and the development of a sixth facility in Price George’s County (the MGM National Harbor, which subsequently opened its doors in December 2016).An artist's rendering shows the resort being planned by MGM Resorts International on property alongside Interstate 495 and overlooking the Potomac River outside Washington DC. Despite these positive legislative developments, however, the authority resisted the urge to regulate offline casino gambling for the remainder of the 20th century.Ģ008 This changed in 2008, however, when a constitutional referendum approved the installation of slot machines at five privately owned facilities in Maryland. The state was also amongst the first to legalize bingo in the states (in 1952), although it should be noted that this discipline faces a number of restrictions and can only be conducted by charitable organizations.ġ972 A state lottery in Maryland was fully legalized in 1972, and this remains available to all state residents aged 18 or over. 1920 Maryland has always been synonymous with pari-mutuel horse racing wagering, with this practice having been regulated way back in 1870 and formally legalized in 1920.

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