ANNAPOLIS – Maryland’s gambling market could sustain a sixth casino in Prince George’s County, according to a new analysis presented to state lawmakers Tuesday.
The report, which studies the impact of a casino along the Potomac River at National Harbor, concludes that gross gambling revenues would increase by $246.1 million if a sixth casino license is approved by the General Assembly and Maryland voters.
Gross revenues would total $1.6 billion once all six casinos are fully operational and the state has incorporated table games such as blackjack and roulette, according to the joint analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the state Department of Legislative Services.
Some lawmakers and competing casino developers have cautioned that opening a sixth state casino on the Maryland border with D.C. and Virginia would harm gambling profits at the newly opened Maryland Live casino at Arundel Mills mall and a proposed slots emporium in Baltimore.
But all casinos would benefit from an expansion of gambling that included both a Prince George’s casino and table games, the study found. Gross revenue at Maryland Live would increase 20 percent, or $31 million, while revenues at a site in Baltimore would spike 30 percent, or $38 million.
Maryland’s share of that revenue depends on how lawmakers decide to divvy up the money from slots and table games.
If the current split for slot machines — 33 percent for casino operators and 67 percent for the state — were maintained, revenues for the education trust fund and state lottery would increase by $101 million from the Prince George’s facility alone, the report said.
