Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Macau, Monaco…if you were not going to say Baltimore next, you are not alone. However, gather around people from wherever you roam, because the times they are a changing.
Caesar’s Palace (Las Vegas) has taken an interest to the mean streets of Baltimore for their next project, the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino, which is expected to open 2014.
The Horseshoe Casino Baltimore will be located along Russell St. near M&T Stadium (the home of the Ravens) in downtown Baltimore.
The massive undertaking will feature a 122,000 square-foot gaming floor with the usual amenities. What sets the casino apart from some of the rest out there is that it will be outfitted with a complete “World Series of Poker” room, so presumably the casino will serve as one of the stops for the World Series of Poker Tour.
The decision to build a casino in Baltimore seems somewhat counter-intuitive in some ways, one of which is economic: it is an often discussed fact that Baltimore is one of America’s poorest, crime-stricken cities. However, it may be the case that this casino is going to be a positive influence in the community.
Hey, it could happen.
But things are not off to a good start. Already in Baltimore there have been complaints lodged against the casino for allowing toxic chemicals to leach into the Patapsco River from the South Baltimore construction site. The resulting lawsuit is the second lawsuit to be lodged against the casino.
Currently, Caesar’s has no casino in Gaul, but with casinos in Egypt and Uruguay, they are certainly not shy about expanding their empire to different parts of the world. With Caesars sets to pay $11 million to the city for its first year of operation, time will tell if the new Baltimore project will work to the benefit of its residents.