Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com
HANOVER, Md. – Empowered by the passage of Question 7 in Maryland, the largest casino in the state has announced the launch of a dealer school to staff newly-approved table games.
Maryland Live! plans to hire 1,200 more people now that voters have approved allowing table games. That would bring the total number of employees at the casino to nearly 3,000.
The 12-week dealer school begins Jan. 7.
“We get to offer this class for free the first time through,” says Rob Norton, the president and general manager of Maryland Live!
The dealer school, located at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, will offer morning, afternoon and evening classes. The casino expects more than 1,000 people to go through the class.
“We’re going to give them all the skills they need to be able to come walk onto a casino floor and start dealing,” Norton says.
Maryland Live! expects to have the table games — and their dealers — ready in April.
“It brings a level of gaming experience that we haven’t been able to provide to a set of customers that weren’t willing to come before,” he said.
Though the facility was designed to accommodate the possibility of table games, adding more than 150 games will require some shuffling on the casino floor.
Norton said the number of slot machines will drop 5 to 10 percent.
But Maryland Live! may be looking to expand more than its gaming options.
David Cordish, chairman of the Cordish Cos., said Wednesday he believes there is a “very good chance” of adding a high-rise hotel. But it’s unclear when it would be built.
He said he’s considering a hotel with conference facilities next to the casino.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Andrew and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
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