Maryland sees 19 percent increase in lottery and casino revenue

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

The Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo from Facebook

>
Maryland took in more than $1 billion from the lottery and casinos in the last fiscal year, according to the state Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

Some $525 million came from the lottery and another $487 million came from five gaming facilities. The revenues were 19 percent higher than the prior year, a situation largely attributed to the opening of the Horseshoe Baltimore, the first urban casino in the state, in August 2014.

Revenues are only expected to increase in the coming years as MGM Resorts International prepares to open a $1.3 billion casino at the National Harbor in late 2016. The facility is located less than 10 miles from the U.S. Capitol.

Artist's rendering of the MGM Resorts International casino under construction near Washington, D.C. Image from National Harbor

>
Maryland is home to several tribes with state recognition. None have been granted federal recognition so they can't engage in gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

In neighboring Virginia, the Pamunkey Tribe gained federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. MGM Resorts tried to block a decision in hopes of limiting competition for its National Harbor facility.

Casino-style gaming, though, is not legal in Virginia. So Maryland's industry is not likely to see any major threats soon.

“We’re kind of geographically lucky being next to Virginia,” Gordon Medenica, the director of the Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, told The Washington Post. “Virginia not having casinos is going to be a positive for us."

Get the Story:
Lottery sales, casino revenue a billon-dollar boon for Maryland (The Washington Post 8/11)
Maryland gaming revenue expected to continue growing after topping $1 billion (The Baltimore Sun 8/11) $P Federal Register Notices:
Final Determination for Federal Acknowledgment of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe (July 8, 2015)
Proposed Finding for Federal Acknowledgment of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe (January 23, 2014) Related Stories:
MGM on track to complete $1.2B casino near US Capitol next year (03/02)
Poll finds growth in negative views about gaming in Maryland (02/16)
Gaming company fights federal recognition for Pamunkey Tribe (12/01)
Revenues at commercial casinos in Maryland grew 33 percent (10/13)
Caesars Entertainment debuts $442M urban casino in Baltimore (08/26)