‘World-class’ MGM National Harbor resort opens to packed crowd

OXON HILL, Md. — Maryland’s new era of casino gaming got off to a rousing start Thursday as thousands of people jammed the $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor when the doors opened a half-hour ahead of schedule.

By midnight, security officers stopped letting people in at some entrances because of the crowd.

Most beelined for the casino where they found a floor with more than 3,000 slot machines and mostly $25 limit blackjack and roulette tables.

National Harbor, located about 15 miles from the center of Washington D.C., is Maryland’s first integrated resort with table games. The state’s other five casinos are slot machine parlors or racinos attached to horse-racing tracks.

Officials had initially promised to open the doors at 11 p.m., but instead let the growing crowd escape from near-freezing temperatures at about 10:30.

People who didn’t bolt for the casino floor meandered through the property’s public areas, stopping to admire the centerpiece conservatory and some of the resort’s more than 30 public art pieces, and to take selfies with their camera phones.

When the doors opened, patrons let out a big cheer and lines immediately began to form at eateries in the food-court area called The District. Within 10 minutes, lines at the property’s Shake Shack spilled out into the public walkways.

Many guests didn’t even notice the MGM lion ice sculpture made specially for the opening.

The public came through the doors as a three-hour VIP event for invited guests was wrapping up, and it wasn’t long before the elegantly dressed VIPs were joined by the T-shirt and sweatshirt crowd at the casino and in the conservatory.

Traffic to the property was stop-and-go a half-mile away three hours before the opening.

Earlier in the day, dignitaries from the state of Maryland and Prince George’s County led by Gov. Larry Hogan heaped praise on the resort and its staff in a press conference.

Hogan, whose administration has stressed the importance of economic development to the state, said the property “could not be more impressive” and that it will have a transformational impact on the region.

“It’s going to help bring more people into the area,” Hogan said in an interview after the hourlong press conference. “It’s a beautiful world-class resort. The National Harbor development here already has had a huge impact. This is just the latest part of that. It’s going to bring people, money and jobs to the area.”

Hogan was referring to the nearby Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center less than a mile away.

Hogan said the state has projected that MGM National Harbor would produce $45 million in tax revenue a year for the state, thanks to a formula that enables the company to keep just 44 percent of its gross slot machine revenue. The majority of the slot tax, 41 percent, goes to an education trust fund while another 15 percent goes to the state’s horse-racing industry, local impact grants and small-, minority- and women-owned business programs.

MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said he was convinced early that the National Harbor site was the perfect location for what is an entirely different style of gaming amenity for the state of Maryland.

National Harbor not only will have slots and table games but also a collection of restaurant, spa and entertainment amenities and a 308-room boutique hotel that could compare favorably with any resort in Las Vegas.

Murren, wearing a Maryland flag pin on his lapel, has some roots in the state since it is the home of his mother-in-law, a former teacher in the Baltimore area.

“When I first came out to the site, I saw the nation’s Capitol and the Washington Monument saying, ‘Hi,’ to me,” Murren said. “I fell in love with the site and I had already fallen in love with Maryland.”

Murren recounted how a special session of the Maryland Legislature had to be convened to enable gaming in Prince George’s County after residents had initially opted out of the industry when the state’s first five casinos were built.

“We made promises to the state and to the county to build something spectacular, and when MGM makes a promise, it keeps it,” Murren said.

The end result was a property unlike anything local residents have ever seen and jobs for 4,000 employees, 2,000 of whom reside in Prince George’s County.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.