The Hollywood Casino in Perryville was the first casino to open in Maryland back in September 2010 and has successfully completed five rewarding years. Since its inauguration, a number of other casinos have also started operations in Maryland but the Hollywood Casino has managed to hold its own and build a faithful customer base.

The casino has ten poker tables, twelve table games that offer roulette, blackjack and craps and 850 slot machines spread across a casino floor that occupies over 34,000 square feet. The casino celebrated its fifth anniversary on the 25th September and invited local politicians and a number of its regular patrons to be a part of the celebrations.

The casino has generated more than $20 million for Cecil and Perryville county which has been used to develop the county’s infrastructure. The casino has also provided employment opportunities and entertainment options to the local population.

In a statement, General Manager Matt Heiskell said “We are your neighbourhood casino. It’s a safe, comfortable, friendly place where people know your name, you get to know the employees when you come in here. We’re proud of how the business has progressed, and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to bring to the community and Cecil County and Perryville, based on how the business has performed over time”.

The Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and the Maryland Live! casino are a lot bigger and posed a number of challenges for the smaller Hollywood casino but those challenges have been addressed. The Hollywood casino has made changes to carve a unique niche for itself in Maryland’s casino industry.

The Hollywood casino is owned by Gaming and leisure Properties Inc who also own the real estate rights for an additional 19 casinos. The company has done well and has posted a $3 million profit when compared to the previous year and has decided to invest around $500,000 into the Hollywood casino to construct a private dining area and a new conference room. The new facilities will be built in an area that is not being used right now and a huge neon sign will be erected that will make it visible to the public from Interstate 95.

County Executive Tari Moore was present during the 5th anniversary celebrations and stated that the county looked forward to working with the Hollywood casino and helping develop the local community further. This week, the county is also celebrating its economic development week and the contributions from the Hollywood casino will be a part of the review process.