Maryland Live Back on Top After Using Wind Out of MGM Nationwide Harbor’s Sails


Maryland Live Back on Top After Using Wind Out of MGM Nationwide Harbor’s Sails

Maryland Live is once again the casino that is top hawaii 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 gambling money that is most come through its doors during February.

Collectively, the state’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 income, with Horseshoe Baltimore coming in a distant third with $22 million.

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

The Cordish Companies, the parent organization of Live that is headquartered in Maryland, credited its ‘family approach’ for the home retaking the spot that is top. 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 Results

The February gambling report represents a 38 percent increase on the month that is same 2016. Casinos took $35.4 million additional money through the quickest month of the year, but the data also highlights plenty of concerns for Maryland gaming.

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

Maryland Live’s $46.29 million is down $7.72 million compared to final February. And conditions could not happen riper for strong revenues, as the month was 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 stayed competitive up against the behemoth outside of DC in Oxford Hill. Live and National Harbor are about 35 miles apart, but both are competing for the wealthy DC and Northern Virginia demographic.

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

National Harbor Underwater?

MGM’s latest casino to open in the usa had been downright packed during its starting month. The resort asked would-be people to stay away unless they’d a reservation.

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

A nightly stay at the hotel ran between $399 and $599 in the opening weeks. But midweek rates are now since low as $229, though weekends are still in the prior range.

MGM likely isn’t too concerned with the February gaming report. While Live continues to fret over the competition, MGM CEO Jim Murren has over and over repeatedly stated that the property seeks to be a destination resort for not merely gamblers but also visitors towards the country’s capital.

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 presumably became stuck on a railroad track, and tragedy struck whenever an approaching train collided with the charter vehicle. (Image: Kevin McGill/Associated Press)

The incident occurred in Biloxi after the coach reportedly became stuck while attempting to get a cross train tracks. Moments later, a freight train traveling at increases to 45 MPH collided with the bus and pushed it some 300 legs before coming to a stop.

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

At that time regarding the crash, the coach was traveling from the Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis to the Boomtown Casino in Biloxi. That is about an hour’s drive east.

The weeklong excursion was organized by a senior citizens’ center in Texas. While investigators say it’s not immediately clear whether the bus incurred technical problems, the area where the accident occurred has road signs warning motorists of low ground approval.

The names of this victims, and whether the driver was one of the fatalities, was not released.

Charter Gambling

The casino bus crash comes less than five months after a California gambling trip ended in tragedy. In October, 13 people aboard a trip coach were killed after the driver slammed to the straight back of an semi-truck that is 18-wheeler Interstate 10 near Palm Springs.

In that event, 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 businesses and regional casinos usually reach agreements where gambling establishments provide slot money to people arriving on certain charters and pay the bus company a tiny stipend that is per-customer.

This is why busses like usually the one active in the Palm Springs accident drive lengths that are great passing multiple gambling enterprises into the process, to arrive at a location like Red Earth.

Growing Concern

Following last fall’s 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 are still relatively rare compared with other modes of transportation.

Based on the NTSB, in 2015 just 49 bus passengers had been killed in highway accidents. Passenger cars and trucks that are light vans accounted for over 22,400 fatalities.

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

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

‘Our investigators unearthed that oftentimes, the indegent performing company ended up being on FMCSA’s radar for violations, but ended up being permitted to continue operating . . . until they had deadly crashes,’ the NTSB stated at the time.

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

Kenneth Salazar, US Secretary to the Interior under Barack Obama, has warned Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy over ‘legal dangers’ concerning the state’s proposal to permit the construction of the casino that is tribal 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 deal with the Mohegan and Mashantucket tribes. (Image: Politico.com)

Salazar, who is a paid up consultant for MGM Resorts Global, informed the governor that the proposed ‘satellite’ casino could jeopardize the state’s revenue-sharing agreements with all the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans, which run the Foxwoods and Mohegan Casinos in south Connecticut, which could price the state billions into the run that is long.

MGM is hopeless to stop Connecticut’s plans to just establish a casino 13 kilometers south associated with the MGM Springfield, presently under construction throughout the border in Massachusetts.

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

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

Borderline Legal

The satellite casino is controversial plan because the Connecticut legislature would need to pass a law permitting the 2 tribes, known collectively as MMCT, to run the state’s first ever casino outside tribal lands. The tribes would be the only entities allowed by legislation to operate casinos in hawaii.

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 build up gambling enterprises in the state, discriminating, claims MGM, in benefit of the two tribes.

The casino giant also attempted to have an amendment added up to a federal defense bill that would have forbidden Native American tribes from running gambling enterprises in their home state outside their reservations however it had been scuttled by vigilant congressman from Connecticut.

Nevertheless the question of legality lingers, and week that is last Malloy requested that their state AG George Jepsen prepare an official opinion in the legal ramifications of the proposition and to assess the likelihood of MGM successfully blocking it in the courts.

Substantial Risk

Salazar’s intervention on behalf of MGM, then, is well-timed. Writing in a letter that is open to Malloy, dated March 7, he writes that the 25 percent revenue share which has existed between the state and the tribes for 2 years is threatened, inspite of the fact that MMCT has proposed amendments towards the agreements that could ensure the re payments towards the state would not stop.

‘Under federal law … amendments to a tribal gaming compact require approval by the U.S. Department of Interior, which I led for five years through the Obama Administration,’ wrote Salazar.

‘Based on that experience ( as well as on my work on Native American legal things), I believe there is a risk that is substantial the tribe’s proposed amendments wouldn’t normally receive the requisite approval, by which case Connecticut’s entitlement to the 25-percent revenue flow may likely terminate.’

AN MMCT spokesman ended up being unmoved by the articles associated with letter. ‘MGM is willing to pay for anyone and every person to stop our task from going forward because they know our proposal is going to keep income and jobs in Connecticut,’ he stated.

Glenn Straub Ups Attacks on Atlantic City, Says New Jersey ‘Rapes’ Companies

Glenn Straub says whenever you come to nj-new Jersey, business owners ‘have to take all your clothing off’ and allow hawaii to take full advantage. ‘They do not know how exactly to perhaps not rape you,’ he opined.

Glenn Straub (middle), seen right here at a Casino Control Commission meeting last month, is a new comer to Atlantic City, but that does not suggest the Florida-based businessman will probably play by brand New Jersey’s rules. (Image: Atlantic City Primetime)

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

Expected why he isn’t ready to play by the principles which have been set forth, such as taking part in the PILOT program ( re payment in place of fees), Straub answered, ‘I’d be broke. They’re trying to produce me do what my predecessors did.’

Straub purchased the Revel that is shuttered Atlantic, a resort that cost $2.4 cleopatra slot machine big win billion to create, for $82 million in bankruptcy court. But since his acquisition nearly two years ago, the businessman has engaged in a few fights with hawaii’s Casino Control Commission (CCC) and Atlantic City’s local leaders.

Straub argues he doesn’t need a casino license since he’s likely to be leasing his gambling floor to a third-party that is currently in the act of obtaining a CCC permit.

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

Layers of Bureaucracy

Straub’s frustrations aren’t out of the norm regarding business that is doing Atlantic City. The beachfront gambling town is infamous for the complicated environment that is regulatory.

The Casino Control Commission, Division of Gaming Enforcement, and Casino Reinvestment Development Authority are all involved in licensing properties, but incoming owners are often confused as to which agency is actually in charge. Muddying the method may be the known undeniable fact that the town itself is responsible for building inspections and infrastructure tasks.

Mayor Don Guardian (R) has been trying to assist owners navigate the burdens that are complex. The controversial mayor who is during the center for the state’s takeover associated with regional government states he regularly meets with owners who have invested at the least $1 million in the town.