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Mgm National Harbor Casino Reviews
While the public opening is Dec. 8, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is accepting hotel reservations for stays at National Harbor starting on Dec. You can book now.
Mgm National Harbor Casino
Maryland posted its best-ever month in December 2016, as it generated $133.47 million in revenue. The previous record was $104.35 million, for a difference of $29 million.
The driver of the record total was the MGM National Harbor, which collected $41.9 million in only 23 days of operations. MGM National Harbor had its grand opening on December 8, giving Maryland its 6th land-based casino. The records likely are going to fall throughout 2017, since this is the first time the state has had six casinos in its history.
The numbers without the casino, which is located about 10 miles outside of Washington D.C., were significantly below the previous record. Even the numbers for the older five casinos might have been affected by the grand opening, as those casinos might have seen some decline as customers sampled the new resorts and its much-touted amenities.
MGM National Harbor Profile
The MGM National Harbor cost $1.4 billion and featured modern sculptures around its perimeter, including artwork from dozens of modern sculptors — and one 30-square foot metalwork sculpture from Bob Dylan. The complex includes several restaurants by nationally-known chefs and restauranteurs.
The gaming was the key attraction. Throughout its first weeks of operation, the casino was filled to capacity. Traffic congestion had become a local issue, but mass market and high rollers alike appeared at the MGM National Harbor.
Gordon Medinica on Gaming Revenues
Gordon Medinica, the director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, said in an interview, “We anticipated that December would be a record-breaking month, and we are tremendously enthusiastic about the future of Maryland’s casino program.”
“MGM National Harbor is an outstanding facility in an ideal location, and we are confident that its success will fuel the continued growth of revenue that supports vital state programs.”
Proximity to Washington DC
The location is well-suited to draw tourists and foreign vivitors. Since it is only ten miles from the nation’s capital, it is certain to have a massive influx of foreign visitors every year. Millions of Americans visit the nation’s capital each year for tours of the White House, Capitol Building, Washington and Lincoln Monuments, National Mall, and Smithsonian.
How many historical tourists plan to gamble is uncertain. In the early stages, it appears that a lot of tourists took in a bit of gaming. As Republicans and Democrats alike often lament, Washington D.C. is the home of a huge influx of tax money, as well as a huge bureaucracy and lobbying industry. That money should translate well to high roller gambling, though it might produce a few scandals over the years.
Maryland Live’s Numbers
The Cordish Company casino in Hanover, Maryland Live!, had the best month of the six casinos with $48 million in revenue. Despite beating MGM National Harbor by $7 million, Maryland Live! generated $6 million less in revenue over December 2015, so the new casino had a major impact.
Developers for the two casinos waged a bitter legal and public relations battle in the months and years leading up the MGM National Harbor’s grand opening. The Cordish Company is building a 17-story tower at a $200 million cost to better compete with MGM National Harbour. Maryland Live!’s owners also bought a Hilton Hotel last fall to add more accommodations.
Horseshoe Baltimore’s Numbers
Horseshoe Baltimore, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment, showed a 9% increase in revenues from this time last year. That is an interesting figure, because Horseshoe Baltimore was the other property expected to be most-impacted by the opening of the new casino.
Given its is located in a major city, it might be that the Horseshoe Baltimore is better situated to withstand the loss of costumers than Maryland Live!. In either case, the Washington/Baltimore corridor is now filled with integrated resort-casinos, so Maryland’s gambling sector should see growth in the coming years, assuming a healthy economy.
January 2017 Maryland Casino Revenues
Biz Journals reports that the Maryland casino revenues for January 2017 were $126.2 million, which is a 42% increase over January 2016. MGM National Harbor had the highest revenues with $48.8 million, so January was the first time MGM National Harbor led Maryland casinos in revenue stats.
Maryland Live Casino collected $44 million in January 2017. That is an 15% from the $52 million collected in January 2016. Horseshoe Casino Baltimore had a similar decrease (14.5%) from January 2016, as it collected a little over $20 million in January 2017. Hollywood Casino Perryville generated $5.8 million in revenues, Rocky Gap Casino Resort had in $3.7 million in winnings, the Casino at Ocean Downs generated $3.7 million in winnings. Each represented a 10% to 12% decline in their revenues from the same time last year.
Executives from Maryland Live! Casino and the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore each said they expected a similar decline over the next few months, though they each expect to see their numbers return to close to their 2016 revenues once the newness of MGM National Harbor wears off. Each expects casino visitors who live near their establishments to try MGM National Harbor, then eventually settle on the casino nearer to their homes.
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The impressive exterior of MGM International's National Harbor casino and resort just outside the nation's capital. (Stephen Wilkes)
Far from the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International opens its $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino and resort just outside the nation’s capital this week, advertising a gambling floor “bigger than the White House” and an art collection that includes a large welded collage by Bob Dylan.
But don’t expect Vegas glitz, neon flamingos or ancient Roman replicas here. Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, describes the design as “intentionally monumental,” meaning that the area’s first casino-resort was designed to complement Washington’s iconic landmarks.
The location in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just across the Potomac River from Virginia and next to Washington is also central to its appeal. A plaza with a reflecting pool offers sweeping views of the water and the capital city’s monuments across the way.
The casino opens Thursday night at 11 p.m.
With three major airports nearby, MGM hopes to attract international travelers visiting Washington as well as U.S. tourists coming to see their nation’s capital, particularly those from the Southeast. This will be Maryland’s sixth and biggest casino, but Murren said there are only a handful of casino-resorts on the East Coast that have as much to offer as this one. “This was designed and is programmed to draw people into the state and not simply to be a casino,” Murren said.
The gaming floor of the new casino. (Robb Scharetg)
Mgm National Harbor Casino Restaurants
What to do
MGM National Harbor’s casino floor is about 125,000 square feet, with table games and more than 3,300 slot machines. An intimate 3,000-seat arena already has lined up well-known acts like Bruno Mars, Sting, Cher and Boys II Men. The hotel is 23 stories with 308 rooms. There’s also a spa, salon, outdoor pool and 50,000 square feet of meeting space. High-end branded retailers include the first SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker boutique. Bars and restaurants feature local, national and international chefs, including a Voltaggio Brothers Steak House. A 12-foot chocolate fountain is the centerpiece of a European-inspired pastry shop, called Bellagio after the MGM casino in Las Vegas.
Check out the art
Seventy-two works of art are displayed inside and outside the casino. Bob Dylan’s “Portal,” a metal collage with an aquatic theme including a Maryland blue crab, arches over an entrance to the casino floor. It is the singer and Nobel laureate’s first work of art for a public space on permanent display.
“I viewed art from the inception of National Harbor as not an amenity, but as an integral part of the narrative and experience to the resort,” said Murren, who majored in art history in college. The collection also contains work by local artists. Docent tours are planned, and descriptions of the art can be downloaded on smartphones.
Should Trump be worried?
This touch of Las Vegas opens about six weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, whose businesses have included hotels, casinos and other hospitality industry properties.
“Moving forward to have somebody that’s been experienced in this industry is, you know, a positive from a travel and tourism perspective, and I certainly look forward the next several years for our company,” Murren said.
A peek inside the luxury Chairman's suite. (Robb Scharetg)
But as Trump knows, success in the casino industry can be elusive. MGM National Harbor’s opening comes about two months after the Taj Mahal, which was built by Trump, closed in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Taj Mahal was Atlantic City’s fifth casino to close since 2014 amid rising casino competition in surrounding states.
Long-term plans
MGM National Harbor has been in the works for years. When Maryland voters first approved casinos in 2008, only five casinos with just slot machines were allowed. Then in 2012, voters approved a sixth casino in Prince George’s County, including permission for table games. MGM and rival casino owner Penn National Gaming, Inc., spent more than $80 million on the campaign leading up to that vote, with Penn National opposing the MGM expansion.
What's up with the competition?
Two other Maryland casinos operate within 45 miles from of MGM National Harbor: the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, operated by Caesars Entertainment Corps., and Maryland Live!, owned by the Cordish Cos., in Anne Arundel County. State lawmakers reduced the state’s high tax rate on those casinos in order to help make up for lost market share with the opening of MGM.
Still, Murren said MGM aims to attract new visitors from outside Maryland, not pull them away from competitors. He added that the casino employs 3,600 full-time employees.
How to get there
Mgm National Harbor Grand Opening
The resort is not directly linked by Metro, the subway for Washington, Maryland and Virginia. You can get there by bus from the Metro’s King Street stop on the yellow line, the Southern Avenue stop on the green line or by water taxi from Alexandria, Virginia. There’s a 5,000-car onsite parking lot and an overflow lot, plus a taxi stand. A shuttle that runs daily 11 a.m.-4 a.m. will link the resort with the rest of National Harbor, a separate development that includes restaurants, shopping and the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The resort also is working with ride-sharing companies.