by: Gene Koprowski.
A Maryland real estate developer, working with an outlet mall in
suburban Washington D.C., has floated the idea of installing 4,750
video slot machines next door to the Arundel Mills discount shopping
center.
Overall, Maryland is considering five areas for slots parlors. The site in Anne Arundel, near the U.S. capital, is the only one with two competing bids. The other is from the operators of the nearby Laurel, Md. track.
"It's certainly not as chichi as some places," said Wayne Koscinsky, 41, a local resident. "I mean, it's an outlet mall, but I never thought it'd be the sort of place you go to gamble."
Many local leaders are cautiously endorsing the venture, even as some residents and mall customers worry that it might increase traffic congestion and other problems.
As a business proposition, the plan makes a lot of sense, experts are saying. It's not unusual to combine casinos with retail, restaurants and entertainment. Las Vegas, after all, is a city built on the concept.
What's fascinating about the Arundel Mills proposal is that it takes a retail anchor and tries to build a gambling operation in the midst of it.
"I can't recollect it being done quite this way before," said Jeff Hooke, a Bethesda gaming analyst, "but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work."
Malls operate on the same basic principles as a casino: easy access, consumer awareness and figuring every way possible to get people to relax and spend. The Arundel Mills slots parlor may also benefit from instant visibility and traffic from the mall's 14 million annual visitors, its 17 anchor retailers and more than 225 specialty stores.
The proposal was proposed by Cordish, a Baltimore-based development firm, collaborating with the mall's owner, Simon Property Group. The details of their proposal are still emerging, while it and five other bids are being considered by officials.
Many who had opposed slots in last year's referendum campaign had argued that it would compete for people's money, decreasing business at county stores.
According to Bob Burdon, head of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, "what we're focused on now is how to capture these people who will come for the slots. How to get them to see there's more to this place than the one-armed bandits."
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