Maryland Licenses First Gambling Den Through Racetrack

Gambling News - September 24th, 2009 - Written by Glen

By the time Memorial Day rolls around, Maryland may have their first licensed gambling parlor in the state. Eight hundred machines are to be added to an Eastern Shore race track, Ocean Downs.

The issue has been on the table for many years, but headway was recently made and the decision to license was announced this week. The commission in charged voted unanimously to allow the first of five locations to have the machines.

Other licenses are being discussed, and the decision is expected within ninety days. Applicants have been in the system since the cry for applications in February, and November will be a pivotal month for the proposed gambling centers. Nearly 15,000 machines are to be distributed around the state, though only half are expected to be spoken for as of yet.

The next in line to receive machines is tentatively set to be Penn National Gaming. They have requested the privilege of hosting 500 slot machines in Cecil County. The license could go out as early as October, though this is strictly an estimate.

The Commission is remaining stringent on who they will license too, which adds to the bureaucracy involved. The most exciting location, however, is the prospect of a casino with over 3,000 machines being placed near the stadium in which the Baltimore Ravens play.

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