Story By: Hal Jalikakik
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Oxon Hill, MD–
I must admit that year 20 plus years of hitting Las Vegas Strip, having some of the qualities of Vegas right in your own backyard can be quite appealing. While we have had Maryland Live and The Horseshoe in Downtown Baltimore, but nothing that offers the high end experience the the new MGM National Harbor offers.
Whether you are looking for amazing gaming options or first class dining options, the casino has everything you need under one roof without making the trip to Vegas.
“This facility is a watershed moment for us,” County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) said Thursday as he and other top elected officials gathered to mark the opening. “The comments I made when I first took office — about how we are the economic engine of Maryland — and I dare say the Washington region — this facility says that is true, and it also says to businesses ‘This is the place to come.’
In addition to the nearly 4,000 jobs created, the $1.4 billion casino resort is projected to generate between $40 million and $45 million a year in tax revenue for the county — and millions more for the state.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker and the celebrity chefs José Andrés, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, and Samuelsson, who have restaurants in the resort, posed for selfies as politicians and corporate officials mingled during the open house earlier in the day.
