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As State's Casinos Compete, Maryland Live! Places Final Beam Of Attached Hotel

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The new Live! Hotel gets one step closer to opening its doors and raising the for Maryland casinos. Amy Yensi got a tour of the construction site and has the latest.

The luxury hotel will be next to a casino and a mall -- that combination could give the other Maryland casinos a run for their money.

Reaching new heights in the battle for No. 1 casino in Maryland, the final steel beam tops the first phase of construction on flagship Live! hotel.

"Get a sense of the grandeur and height of this room. There's really no room like it in Maryland," says David Cordish, Chairman of the Cordish Companies.

The $200 million dollar hotel will feature a spa, event space and David's cafe. It's also adding the first Maryland restaurant by celebrity chef Todd English. The amenities aim to turn casino from attraction to destination.

"We have a lot of customers who come from Virginia to D.C.," says Cordish.

"The area where I'm standing connects the Live! complex. Behind that wall is the casino, to my right is the convention space and to the left of that the hotel lobby and restaurant," he says.

"It's a good for the county and the state," Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh.

Maryland's six casinos are big money-makers for the state. Together the generated more than $134 million dollars in revenue last month. That's up just over 38 percent from a year ago.

The MGM National Harbor opened last December with major fanfare and star power. Baltimore's Horseshoe Casino is also upping the ante. Renowned Chef Gordon Ramsey will open a steakhouse there later this year.

"This not a national chain. We are Maryland based," says Robert Norton, President of Live! Casinos.

As the casino landscape gets ready for yet another change, the stakes couldn't be higher. It will take lots of people to run this hotel. There are 400 open job positions.

This is the first hotel of the Live! brand. It is the tallest building in Anne Arundel County. It is due to open next year.

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