The latest PR effort of Mills, Cordish, and Leopold is a last ditch effort to try and rescue a failing effort to secure slots as a permitted use at a site which is uniquely unsuited for such a use. Playing to the hopes of the unemployed for jobs at this upcoming Casino job fair for a site which may never be permitted for a Casino is cruel, and a thinly veiled attempt to strong arm the County Council. When the people of Maryland voted for slots they were not voting for gambling at a family friendly outlet mall, nor did they expect the target demographic for slots to be the same as those shoppers at a Lego's outlet store as stated by representatives of the Cordish Company. Anne Arundel County has 75 square miles of land where a casino could be placed, and we are sure the County Council will act in the best interests of the people of Anne Arundel County.

This is not the first time that this cynical strategy has been employed by sleazy and manipulative casino operators. Cordish is dragging people out to apply for jobs that don't exist and probably will NEVER exist. These are real people who have real problems and are having their time wasted in an effort to score political points. It's fraudulent and outrageous.

Magna did the same thing at Pimlico. They took applications and told people they were going to have all of these high-wage positions to fill. That was years ago, and I think we can all agree that Magna hasn't hired too many casino workers. In other states the experience has been that casino operators tend to significantly over-hire at the outset to try to fulfill their over-hyped jobs figures. They then fire half of the new hires to get down to the very small staff actually required to run a slots operation. Corporate cynicism beyond belief!

Tim,
As an Anne Arundel County resident, I voted for slots and understood that Laurel Race Track was preferred for the slots license but I also understood that the Laurel location was not a done deal since the area in the bill provided for potentially other locations. While not considering Arundel Mills (which is actually a good location in terms of bringing in customers), I thought that Blob's Park (just off 295) might bid for a license.

So please do not make the unqualified statement that the people of Maryland did not understand that the location might be near the mall. Voters are not as stupid as most of the opponents of the Arundel Mills location would make us out to be. We tend to understand what we are voting on.

By the way, the slots parlor would not be actually in the mall but behind it so that the mall would still remain family friendly. Though the movie theater located in the mall does show "R" rated films.

I voted against slots for two reasons, I didn't like the idea of messing with the state constitution simply because the legislature didn't have any political will and I didn't want them in my backyard so I wouldn't vote to put them in the back yard of someone else.
However, most of Anne Arundel County voted for slots, including a large portion of the Hanover area. The votes have spoken, including those in the immediate area, let the casino be built.
If those in the immediate area didn't read the bill, then let them have a lasting memory of the consequences of not doing their job as citizeens.
Ultimately, if you voted for the bill, shut up, you got what you wanted. If not, then please speak up and educate those that didn't so they will learn their lesson before they vote on another bad bill next election.

There is absolutely no reason that slots should NOT be at Arundel Mills.

It has the parking. It has the connecting roads. It has the hotels. It has the sewage, gas, and water infrastructure.

It also has the general idea behind slots - a mega entertainment complex already attached.
The general idea for the mall was/is a destination mall, where shopping sprees could occur during the day, then dinner, a movie, and maybe some arcade games.
Let's be honest here - slots these days are similar to arcade games. It's just the next level.

Any person who lives around Arundel Mills and complains about slot showing up is either delusional or disingenuous - this was undeveloped land with no real home appeal before the mall came, and you bought the property after the mall appeared.
You knew what you were getting into, even if it was slots talk with Bobby or Marty before the vote came up.

Buyer beware, deal with it.

Folks, we voted for slots at the racetrack to save the racing industry. The Capital is now reporting that Cordish and The Mills were in negotiations back in 2008 before the referendum. They kept quite to allow the referendum to pass.

Rt 198 has three lanes of traffic in each direction, and is closer to I-95 and D.C.

Put slots where gambling is already allowed, and no one goes to. Help save the economy and bring jobs to Laurel

Just build the damn thing…Arundel Mills is already ghetto, what harm will slots do?.. seriously

Arundel MillsMall is already a center for crime in AA County. ( see the weekly crime reports in the Sun or Post) The addition of a casino will likely result in far greater emphasis on security in the area. Crime near the casinos in Las Vegas is not an isuue. What are the AA council members waiting for?

I am going to the job fair on thursdays and applying for a job. Im tired of being unemployed for the last 4 months no work anywhere. if there is a chance to find a job working in the Casino im all for it. I dont see anybody else offering jobs .I belive gambling is the best thing we need in Maryland . Lets keep the money here . Thanks Cordish Ill see you there

Good luck, James. I'm ambivalent about slots. They'll help the state budget and create jobs, but they'll also cause people to gamble away savings. But in any event I hope you get hired soon by somebody you want to work for. JH

The cordish 'job fair' is really an effort to recruit people to come out for them on December 7th. Its a sham job fair.

Well i think that so far everyone who has commented on here is right one way or another, however someone had to step up and put it out there-if this is the only way to show the state that this is needed, then I welcome it. Though there needs to be something if anything to attract work and revenue to this state!! I think its kinda funny that we are surrounded by gaming and tax-free purchasing states that take potential customers and money from this state. Why do you think Laurel is getting a bum rap? No one with money to there name wants to set foot in that dirty town, let alone be down there after 9pm.Plus there are like but 2 halfway decent bars down there..Why do you think that all of the nice places to go near laurel are away from Laurel??Hmm..If I was someone who wanted to throw my cash around, I'd rather put money on tables at somewhere in Atlantic City or a country club then Laurel or Baltimore for that matter..Also there is going to be crime anywhere that there is money to be thrown about-its been like that ever since currency was invented, to say that crime is going to be worse when the casino opens is like saying falling down in my house is going to be worse if I put in more stairs. Yeah well guess who is actually in charge of crime? Police are. Period. Now is there going to be more DUI/DWI's???Possibly,that's always a chance, though that comes with responsible restaunteurs..Just as Marylanders need jobs, businessman need to make money, to make more business, to make more jobs- to say that any of that is criminal is to put Maryland further into the 19th century. Doesn't the bus system need money? Doesn't local government's need money??Doesn't local communities need money? I don't know if anyone realizes but Laurel is just the beginning of the issue of lack of money in this state. Howard County, though many consider it to be one of the richest in the nation-doesn't have a simple system of transportation, like a monorail. It literally takes almost 2 hours to get from one side of Howard County to the other, even to Laurel!!That's ridiculous.So yeah, I hope they put this big enema at Arundel Mills Mall. Maybe if only to push this state into the 21st Century.

@John - "Arundel Mills is already ghetto" - Home owners around the mall don't think so, and they don't want their 500k houses to plummet in value. There's a right way to do this, and a wrong way. Building a giant casino in the center of 3 neighborhoods is lazy and irresponsible. People will drive an extra 5-10 miles for slots, they don't need to be next to the mall.

I suppose a certain amount of empathy is needed. People need to ask themselves how they would feel if Cordish had decided to build in their backyard (less than a half mile away). And you get what you give. If you let this happen, don't be surprised when big business and the politicians come to screw you over.

There is not one state in the entire country that is "creating" jobs or raising significant revenue through gambling. The promises of lucrative contracts for minority businesses is nothing more than a dream. Las Vegas, with all of its historic gambling riches, still have some of the worse schools in the country. The foreclosure rate in Las Vegas is among the highest in the country because of the collapse of the gambling industry. Jon Corzine was defeated in part because he thought he could use revenues from gambling to reduce property taxes in New Jersey - which didn't happen and cost him the election. Lost in this debate, and apparently way too complicated for many elected officials to understand, is the fact that a major paradigm shift is underway in this country. As a result of the recession we are currently in, people are much more risk averse -whether it's taking out additional home equity to pay for toys big and small or whether through personal investing - people who on average have seen their portfolios shrivel by 30% and their home values shrink by 50% will NOT somehow see gambling on slots as a productive means to a wealthier future - it's just not gonna happen folks. We are already witnessing the future of gambling in Las Vegas.

I think it is terrible that there will be a casino at Arundel Mills. For all the rich sheltered people in the area, Arundel Mills is not as half as ghetto as say PG Plaza or Mondawmin Mall (If you are a white and go to these places be prepared to be stared down and feel uncomfortable and out of place).

But gambling establishments always introduce an unsavory dangerous criminal/underworld element to an area. Mob bosses, big-time drug dealers and pimps love to spend their ill-gotten money at these places. And all of the local underemployed or laid off alcoholics will show up because they can sit on their asses and get pissy drunk all day for free. You don't believe me? Look at Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Just wait a year or two. The Arundel Mills area will have tons of murders, shootings, robberies, extortions, and prostitution problems.

I think it is terrible that there will be a casino at Arundel Mills. For all the rich sheltered people in the area, Arundel Mills is not as half as ghetto as say PG Plaza or Mondawmin Mall (If you are a white and go to these places be prepared to be stared down and feel uncomfortable and out of place).

But gambling establishments always introduce an unsavory dangerous criminal/underworld element to an area. Mob bosses, big-time drug dealers and pimps love to spend their ill-gotten money at these places. And all of the local underemployed or laid off alcoholics will show up because they can sit on their asses and get pissy drunk all day for free. You don't believe me? Look at Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Just wait a year or two. The Arundel Mills area will have tons of murders, shootings, robberies, extortions, and prostitution problems.

I'd rather spend my money here than driving far and giving them my entertainment money. The other casino don't have any problems!!