The state commission charged with awarding a casino license in Prince George’s County will call for proposals at a meeting in Annapolis on Jan. 31.
Don Fry, the group’s chairman, anticipates setting a due date in May well and, determined by the number and nature with the applicants, awarding the license no later than the end from the year.
MGM Resorts, a partner inside a proposed $800 million project to become built near National Harbor, will begin perform on its proposal as soon because the request is produced, spokesman Gordon Absher stated.
Penn National, which purchased Rosecroft Raceway with hopes of creating a casino there, has yet to decide regardless of whether it’ll bid for the license, based on spokeswoman Karen Bailey. The Pennsylvania-based enterprise owns Hollywood Casino in Perryville and to adhere to state law would will need to submit a program for divesting its share in that license if it moved forward using the Rosecroft bid.
Fry said the state commission, which was previously staffed by the division of legislative services but is now run by way of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Manage Agency, will conduct thorough background checks of all applicants and an analysis of every proposal.
“We feel we can do that a bit much more expeditiously based on our experience undertaking it so far,” Fry said. “But a great deal depends upon how several parties are involved.”
MGM and Penn National waged a costly campaign last fall surrounding ballot query No. 7, which permitted the introduction of table games as well as the creation with the Prince George’s license. Penn National spent a lot more than $40 million on the losing cause and has because railed against what it named an “unseemly back-room cope with National Harbor” and said it believes Rosecroft will not possess a fair shot in the license.
MGM as well as other backers in the National Harbor project accused Penn National of trying to sabotage the project because it will siphon income from the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, W.Va.
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