A “world-class” Harrah’s casino could be on its way to Baltimore, Maryland, according to the head of Caesars Entertainment.
Chairman, CEO and president of Caesars, Gary Loveman told Maryland’s slots commission that the facility would be profitable with 3,750 slots machines (that have been approved by voters) if his group is given the go-ahead.
In a report by the Baltimore Sun, Loveman said during his visit on Monday: “We believe we will bring a lot of people to Baltimore who might not otherwise have come. We think we can bring a lot of excitement to Baltimore.”
Caesars, which also operates casinos nationally under the Harrah’s name, is a key member of a group that is the only qualified bidder to open a slots parlour in the city.
Loveman stated that the group wants the General Assembly to ask voters for a state constitutional amendment to allow table games as well. If table games are approved, Loveman said Caesars would hold some of its regional World Series of Poker competitions in Baltimore. Such events could feature 1,000 poker players contending for a place at a championship held in Las Vegas.
The commission chairman, Donald Fry, said the panel expects to decide by March whether to approve the proposal, stating that time is needed to complete investigations of all of the members of a large bidding group.
The group’s proposed “world class” gambling palace would be called Harrah’s Baltimore and rise two stories. The first floor would be circled with street-level restaurants and retail shops. The second would feature a sports bar and a food court. The architectural drawings show a brick-and-glass structure intended to echo the many historic red brick buildings in the city.
But what will make it “world-class”? Well, another company official said the group would try to distinguish itself from the state’s other casinos by targeting higher-end customers. The types who might play in Baltimore one day and jet off and play in Las Vegas or Johannesburg the next. Ooh, fancy.
If it goes ahead, an eight-story parking garage will feature next to the building to house some 4,000 vehicles, to ensure it will always accommodate more than enough. With this it’s also estimated the new casino could also add 1,225 jobs to Baltimore’s economy, planned to open by mid to late 2013 if it gets six nods from the commission.
