Horseshoe Baltimore is an urban two-story

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

, and the second largest casino in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean ...

with a 122,000-square-foot gaming floor.Rector, Kevin. "As Horseshoe Casino Rises, Officials Work behind the Scenes for Smooth Launch." Baltimore Sun. N.p., 22 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. The multimillion-dollar facility features video lottery terminals, table games, and a

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best ...

room. Horseshoe's 20,000-square-foot Baltimore Marketplace features Charm City food outlets, three premier restaurants, and several bars and lounges."About Horseshoe Baltimore." Horseshoe Casino: About. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. The $442 million casino is located along Russell Street on

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

’s south side, neighboring professional sports venues

M&T Bank Stadium M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...

, home of the NFL

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, and

Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...

, home of the MLB

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, as well as Baltimore’s

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...

. The casino is owned by CBAC Gaming, a group led by

Caesars Entertainment Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corporat ...

, and is managed by Caesars. Other members of the CBAC consortium include

Jack Entertainment Jack Entertainment (formerly known as Rock Gaming LLC from 2009 to 2016) is a gaming, hospitality, and entertainment company based in Cleveland, Ohio. The company operates two gaming facilities in Ohio, Jack Cleveland Casino and Jack Thistledo ...

; CVPR Gaming Holdings, LLC; STRON-MD Limited Partnership; and PRT TWO, LLC.

History

In a 2008 constitutional referendum, Maryland voters approved a video lottery terminal casino facility in Baltimore City, and at four other locations throughout the state.Wagner, John. “Caesars wins license for Baltimore casino.” Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 31 July. 2012. Web. 13 Dec 2012. In July 2012, the Maryland Lottery Commission approved a Caesars Entertainment-led consortium bid to develop and operate a gaming facility in downtown Baltimore. Initial designs of the casino were prepared by Baltimore-based architects Ayers Saint Gross. Following the construction approval, revised renderings were prepared by Cleveland-based KA architects, who designed the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland. On August 26, 2014, the casino opened with a full night of celebration that included a performances inside and outside of the Casino. Outside entertainment included a live performance from Andy Kushner Entertainment's Rhythm6 band and vertical dance performances by BANDALOOP and pyrotechnics before doors opened to VIPs. Inside entertainment was provided by legendary

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''m ...

artist

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

, with "break music" provided by

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

and

Pauly D Paul Michael DelVecchio Jr. (born July 5, 1980), known as Pauly D and DJ Pauly D, is an American television personality and DJ. He is best known for being a cast member of MTV's reality show ''Jersey Shore''. In 2011, he made a three-album dea ...

. In October 2018, the Horseshoe announced a multi-year marketing deal making it the official casino partner for the

Question Seven

In November 2012, after the most expensive political campaign in Maryland's history, voters approved a 6th casino license in the state, as well as the addition of table games at all Maryland casino sites.Dresser, Michael. “Gambling expansion wins narrow victory.” Baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Dec 2012. Voters approved the expansion of gambling, Question 7, with 52 percent of the vote.Stutz, Howard. “After enduring $90 million fight, Maryland voters OK new casino.” Lvrj.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. More than $90 million was spent between the two campaigns in their efforts to sway voters. Vote Yes on Question 7 was led by

MGM Resorts International MGM Resorts International is an American global hospitality and entertainment company operating destination resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Detroit, Mississippi, Maryland, and New Jersey, including Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and ...

, The Peterson Cos. and labor organizations. Vote No On 7 was funded almost entirely by

Penn National Gaming Penn Entertainment, Inc., formerly Penn National Gaming, is an American entertainment company and operator of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming. It operates 43 properties in 20 states, online sports betting in 14 jurisd ...

, owner of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Transportation

Horseshoe Casino can be accessed by the Baltimore Light Rail at Hamburg Street Station, and by MTA Buses #73,#26,and #75

Criticism

'' Baltimore Brew'' has been critical of the city's financial support of the casino, including increased police presence near the casino and planned financial reimbursements, particularly after initial revenue from the casino has proven to be less than anticipated. Horseshoe also faces a unique security challenge, because it holds a 24-7 liquor license at its 14forty bar. The only bars in Maryland that can serve alcohol around the clock are in casinos.

References

External links