On Sunday morning, I took a day trip up to MGM National Harbor, the new casino that opened a few days ago. This place has been crazy busy and popular since it opened late Thursday night. I planned to get there at an early hour (8:30 AM) so as to beat the traffic and most of the crowds.
Driving to the casino is relatively easy coming from Virginia. The exit to National Harbor already has an exit for traffic heading toward MGM and Tanger Outlets. Harborview Avenue has now been renamed MGM National Avenue. As you drive up the hill, you'll see the entrances to the big parking garage. Once the opening period ends, eventually the parking issue will be much easier. The garage has arrow and numerical indicators that tell you how many parking spaces are available and where they are. Once you park, hopefully you remember what section you parked, because each floor is huge, and getting to the elevator to take you to the casino can be a hike.
The casino is the centerpiece of the facility, with a lot of the shopping/dining/entertainment sections along the circumference of the huge, oval-like casino. On one end is the hotel, and the other end is a huge patio with a huge fountain that will be open on warmer days as well as a gigantic view of the area. You can see the rest of National Harbor, out to Virginia, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and the tall buildings way out in the distance near Alexandria and Arlington. On a clear day you might be able to see all the way to downtown DC's landmarks.
The slot machine inventory is very nice and huge. They have many of the newest slots, like Lock-It Link and Walking Dead 2, as well as a lot of player favorites like Buffalo, Wheel of Fortune, Fu Dao Le, and Stinkin' Rich. Many of the machines have selectable denominations as well: 1-cent, 2-cent, and 5-cent are most choices. I know Lightning Link and Lock-It Link have the usual 1/2/5/10-cent choices. There's many different choices for high- and low-rollers alike. The high-limit room has 8-line Fu Dao Le and Zhen-Chan, as well as $1 Cleo II, Pharaoh's Fortune, Golden Goddess, among many others.
The table games are a different story. If you play blackjack, be ready for at least $25 minimums. Also, make sure you read the table for the blackjack payouts!! Almost all the tables in the main area only pay 6-5 for blackjacks and they hit soft 17. I only saw 2 tables with $25/$50 minimums where they pay the correct and full 3-2 for blackjacks, but they deal from a continuous shuffler. If you're looking tables where they stand on all 17's and pay 3-2 (like all the blackjack games at Maryland Live!), you'll find two of them near the hotel side with $50 and $100 minimums, as well as in the high-limit room. I wouldn't play at a 6-5 table even if you paid me. If I have $500 or so, I might dive into a $25 table but it better pay 3-2 for blackjacks. The casino also has other games to play, like craps (3-4-5 odds), Let It Ride, Roulette, and Baccarat, but again, be ready for $25 minimums.
I did rather decently on Lock-It Link and Walking Dead 2. I had a couple nice $295 and $205 bonus rounds on Lock-It Link (betting $5/spin), and a few nice line hits on Walking Dead 2 (betting $2.25/spin). I didn't try any blackjack though since I don't want to play on a 6-5 table.
This place is in the MLife family, so if you have an MLife card, you can earn your tier credits here. I'm not sure how much coin-in is required to get 1 tier credit. All I know is that the qualification year starts October 1 and ends the following September 30, so I would hope by next September I'll have moved up to at least Pearl level. Up to now, I hardly played at any MGM casinos outside of Las Vegas; I'm more a Total Rewards guy myself. But I wonder if the perks for at least Pearl are better than what Total Rewards offers for Platinum.
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Introduction to Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018
A night at the casino, MGM National Harbor. Over $1,000 in slot machine winnings! Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Guests of MGM National Harbor Resort & Casino have access to a full-service spa, a casino, and an outdoor pool. Onsite parking is available, both free self and paid valet parking (USD 45 per day)—also useful is an area shuttle for a fee. The 24-hour front desk has staff standing by to help with concierge services, luggage storage,.
MGM Casino - National Harbor; Oxon hill; Alexandria to Natinal Harbor. MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill: Hours, Address, MGM National Harbor Reviews: 4/5. All reviews national harbor shake shack hotel and casino self park table games high stakes non smoking valet parking slot machines are nice casino video poker penny slots saturday night. The most popular slot machine at area casinos is called Buffalo Grand. Live Casino & Hotel has five of them, MGM National Harbor nine, and Horseshoe Baltimore a couple. (Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has numerous machines of the prior generation, called Buffalo Gold.).
Maryland slot machine casino gambling consists of six casinos. These land-based casinos offer only video lottery terminal (VLT) style slot machines. Maryland also has cruise ships offering onboard gambling options when traveling in international waters.
A minimum payout return percentage has been legally set by Maryland law. However, actual payout return statistics are not publicly available.
Other gambling locations exist in Maryland, such as bingo halls andpari -mutuel wagering facilities, but none are legally allowed to have slot machines.
Other gambling locations exist in Maryland, such as bingo halls and
Aug 22, 2016 MGM National Harbor is scaling back on its plans for slot machines in a response to “current market factors,” including increased demand for. Presentation of the MGM National Harbor Casino & Hotel. The brand new MGM National Harbor casino is a luxurious venus located only 25 minutes from Washington DC. It benefits from a very nice location on the shores of the Potomac River. Within the complex, a huge 125,000 square feet casino features an attractive gaming offer.
This post continues the weekly series Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambling enthusiasts to success. Each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or the federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Maryland*
The minimum legal gambling age in Maryland depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
Further, anyone intoxicated is prohibited from playing VLTs per state law. Also, cruise ships out of Baltimore have a minimum legal gambling age of 18.
What Slot Machines Are At Mgm National Harbor Resort
In 2008, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing slot machines at five locations in the state. This included a licensing and regulatory legal framework for casino operators, employees, and contractors as well as specifying where to spend state gaming proceeds.
In 2012, Maryland voters approved a gaming expansion bill legally allowing table games at Maryland casinos. It also allowed a sixth Maryland casino. This gambling license was awarded in December 2013, resulting in MGM National Harbor opening 3 years later.
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*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Maryland
It is legal to privately own a slot machine in Maryland if it is 25 years old or older.
![Games Games](/uploads/1/2/5/1/125157367/499507890.jpg)
Gaming Control Board in Maryland
Maryland Lottery and Gaming is responsible for gaming regulations in Maryland. For each gaming facility, it oversees:
- Internal controls
- Auditing and accounting procedures
- Safety and security
- Surveillance
- Employee background investigation and licensing
- Day-to-day operation of machines
- Compliance
- Responsible gambling program
Casinos in Maryland
There are 6 non-tribal casinos, 0 American Indian tribal casinos, 1 non-tribal racino, and 2 cruise ships based in Maryland.
The largest casino in Maryland is Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, reported having 3,813 VLTs and 198 table games in November 2018.
The second largest casino is MGM Casino – National Harbor in Oxon Hill, reported having 3,136 VLTs and 198 table games.
List of Casinos in Maryland
The six casinos and two cruise ships in Maryland offering VLT-style slot machines are:
- Casino at Ocean Downs in Berlin located 133 miles southeast of Baltimore on the Delaware border has 892 slot machines and 18 table games
- Carnival Pride international cruise ship at the Port of Baltimore
- Hollywood Casino Perryville located 44 miles northeast of Baltimore has 822 slot machines and 19 table games
- Horseshoe Casino Baltimore having 2,194 slot machines and 158 table games
- Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover located 11 miles southwest of Baltimore and 30 miles northeast of Washington, DC has 3,813 slot machines and 198 table games
- MGM Casino – National Harbor in Oxon Hill located 14 miles southwest of Baltimore has 3,136 slot machines and 198 table games
- Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Flintstone located 132 miles west of Baltimore near the Pennsylvania border has 665 slot machines and 17 table games
- Royal Caribbean International – Grandeur of the Seas at the Port Baltimore
List of Tribal Casinos in Maryland
Maryland has no tribal casinos. In part, this is due to Maryland having no federally-recognized American Indian tribes.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Maryland slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state.
Maryland is bordered by:
- North: Pennsylvania Slots
- East: Delaware Slots
- South: Virginia Slots and District of Columbia Slots
- West: West Virginia Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my state-specific blog for that bordering state to Maryland.
Thunderstruck online casino game. Apr 16, 2013 Great bolts of lightning, drinking horns, some mysterious-looking rams and a sinister castle, which appears to be the legendary Valhalla. Try this machine for free to see just how rewarding and thrilling it is and later place a bet in any Microgaming-powered online casino. Millions of gamers who chose Thunderstruck can’t be wrong!
Payout Returns in Maryland
Maryland state gaming regulations require an average minimum payout return of 87% for each VLT gaming machine. Further, each casino licensee must establish an average payout return percentage between 90% and 95%, overall, for their VLT machines.
Our Maryland Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Maryland? If so, join our new Maryland slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in or near Maryland. Come join us!
Summary of Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018
Maryland slot machine casino gambling consists of six casinos with VLT-style slot machines controlled by the Maryland gaming control board. Further, two cruise ships sailing out of the Port of Baltimore offer casino gambling via slot machines while traveling to international destinations.
Maryland gaming regulations have set a per-machine minimum payout return percentage of 87%. Further, they have legally set per-casino minimum and maximum payout return percentages at 90% and 95%, respectively.
Annual Progress in Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, the largest casino in Maryland reduced their number of VLT-style slots from 4,337 to 3,813, a 12% reduction, while table games increased from 125 to 198. The second largest casino only had a 5% decrease in slots but table games increased from 140 to 198.
Archive: Maryland Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2017
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Bed and breakfast near winstar casino. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Bed and breakfast near winstar casino. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC