Remember that fast track that MGM National Harbor was on? Yes, forget about it. Politicians in Prince George’s County want to codify it into legislation that MGM 
Resorts International meet certain benchmarks of local hiring and minority contracting. (The company’s excellent reputation on those fronts is clearly not good enough for some.) This throws a monkey wrench into MGM’s plans for a quick start to construction. No permits can be pulled until the county council says OK. MGM National Harbor President Lorenzo Creighton had hoped to start work this month, but first he must wait for the legislation to be voted out of committee and go before the full council. Claiming to be supportive, Councilor Mary Lehman nonetheless said, “But let’s be clear: We haven’t seen a penny yet.”
In order to keep the project on deadline, Creighton has to have permits in hand by June. He’s made verbal commitments to hire 50% of his workforce from within Prince George’s County and to keep 65% of the casino’s proceeds in Maryland. He has his supporters, like Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable board member James Estepp, who said, “we need to allow them some leeway on how it is they feel they can construct what will be a once-in-a-lifetime building in this county.” So far, however, Creighton and Estepp’s pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears.
It’s an extremely rare occurrence for a Nevada casino to be threatened with the loss of its license. However, that’s what’s happening to the Klondike Sunset Casino, a grind joint out in the southeast corner of the valley. It has been found — repeatedly — to have inadequate sums of cash on hand to pay potential winners. You’d think one more screwup would be enough be cause enough at this point to get the Klondike’s attention by suspending its license. But no, it’s getting at least two more fouls before the hammer drops. At that point, its license would be suspended for a week. Three failures occasions a month-long suspension. Four times and owner Ellen Woodrum can kiss that license goodbye for good. But if Woodrum keeps the minimum bankroll on hand during a year’s probationary period, she no longer has to file weekly reports. You could call it tough love.
While Alabama constabulary was raiding his Greenetrack greyhound park in a futile search for VLTs, owner Luther Winn was courting the town of New Windsor, New York, where he has emerged as the latest would-be casino contender. It’s an appealing proposition for those in New Windsor who think casino traffic would finally enable the town to monetize its airport, whose costs aren’t remotely covered by revenue. A Greenetrack spokeswoman blasted the raid a as “political maneuver meant to undermine legitimate gaming operations … rooted in socially conservative values not shared in New York.” Winn is also being sued for improper use of company funds, so this latest Empire State casino bid doesn’t exactly jump to the head of the pack.
They really take cheating seriously in Singapore. Nepalese player Limbu Aadarsh got five months in the cooler for card-marking. According to the Straits Times, “The 30-year-old applied coloured powdery substances to the back of playing cards when he got the chance to handle them.” What did your mother tell you about keeping your hands clean?
