Maryland's next slots parlor is expected to draw large crowds, and not everyone is happy about that.
Maryland Live! near Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, housing more than 3,000 slot machines and table games, opens Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Some are worried it’s a traffic gamble for the already busy Arundel Mills Boulevard.
Changes in the roadways have been made. A traffic calming circle was removed to allow the expected increase in traffic to flow more smoothly.
"Even with the roadwork I think everybody's kind of thinking that the traffic’s going to get pretty bad around here," said Mark Simmonds, who lives near Maryland Live!
On the other hand, the fate of retailers off site is like a spin of the roulette wheel: They could land in the black if the increase in casino traffic means they get more spin off revenue from those coming and going, but on the other hand, they could end up in the red, should people decide the casino traffic is just too much and opt to go elsewhere.
With other gaming houses being considered in the state, including one in Prince George’s County, there are concerns that the area could get gamed-out and revenue could level out or even decrease for all.
Maryland Live! will be open seven days a week at 8 a.m. It will stay open until 2 a.m. during the week and 4 a.m. on the weekend.
