Maryland Live! Casino Earns Maryland Almost $1M A Day In Taxes
ARUNDEL MILLS, Md. (WJZ) -- Hitting the jackpot. Another record-setting month for Maryland's largest casino. Maryland Live! now brings in nearly a million dollars a day in taxes for the state.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the impact the casino is having.
Thursday is the one year anniversary of the opening of Maryland Live! The casino is now one of the state's largest taxpayers and employers.
The cards are dealt and Maryland Live! Casino has a full house.
"It's Vegas in your backyard. That's really what it is," said General Manager Robert Norton.
Just one year ago, the casino first opened its doors in Anne Arundel County. Since then, they've rolled the dice on table games, bringing in a whole new clientele.
"I'd rather have the people than the electronic," said Sarah Boyer from Glen Burnie.
In the first full month table games were permitted in Maryland casinos, Maryland Live! made a record-breaking $55 million. Hollywood Casino in Perryville brought in more than $8.5 million, the casino at Ocean Downs raked in $1.2 million and the new casino in Rocky Gap earned $776,000 in just nine days.
At Maryland Live! they've added new restaurants, Ram's Head Center Stage and doubled the number of jobs.
"Maryland Live! [being] able to add that many good-paying jobs in an economy that has seen a lot of companies struggle, it's a great story to tell," said Norton.
And the expansion continues. Construction is now underway on a new state-of-the-art poker room.
The new attractions are keeping locals and people from out of town coming back.
"I've been to West Virginia a lot but once this started opening, we came here and we started coming here ever since," said Priscilla Henderson.
More guests means more tax dollars in Maryland's pocket. Last month alone, Maryland Live! paid out nearly $29 million in taxes to the state.
The new two-level poker room at Maryland Live! is set to open at the end of the summer. It will add 50 more tables to the floor.
