MGM gets the nod to build Maryland’s sixth casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s
By J. Freedom du Lac and John Wagner, Published: December 20 E-mail the writers
MGM National Harbor? You bet.
A state commission awarded Maryland’s sixth and final casino license Friday to MGM Resorts International, which plans to build a $925 million casino complex at National Harbor in Prince George’s County.
The soaring casino, from the same company that owns Bellagio, MGM Grand and many other high-end, high-wattage gambling resorts, has the potential to change not only the region’s skyline, but also the calculus for where tourists stay, where business groups hold conventions and where Washington lobbyists entertain.
The property, slated to open in mid-2016, will be within easy Uber range of official Washington: less than 10 miles from the U.S. Capitol and 11 from the White House. It will feature 3,600 slot machines, 140 gaming tables, a concert theater, several celebrity-chef-driven restaurants, a spa, luxury retail stores, a reflecting pool and other amenities.
“For us, it’s a great calling card. It elevates the cachet of Prince George’s County,” said County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), who long favored putting the casino on the Potomac. “But this is a big deal for the entire region.”
In winning the right to put a bit of Las Vegas on the Potomac, MGM National Harbor will inject a city of lawyers and wonks — where gray is forever the new black — with a major dose of flash. What happens in Washington may not stay in Washington, moving down the river to Prince George’s, once a backwater for luxury development.
“This is a big day for National Harbor,” said developer Milton V. Peterson, who called the addition of the casino “sort of the crown” in his 350-acre mini-city, currently anchored by the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 70 restaurants and stores, and the new Tanger Outlets mall. Peterson is working on adding more hotels and time-share units to National Harbor to accommodate the influx of gamblers, he said.
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