The Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore celebrated its second anniversary on August 26 and has continued to experience good success, recording more than 4 million visits during this year and revenue of over $283 million during the last eleven months. The casino recorded over 5 million visits during its first year of opening and the decline in the second year has been attributed to the usual rush in visitors when a new gaming facility opens.

All five casinos in Maryland have had strong results in 2016 with April and May being record months with combined revenue from all casinos surpassing the $100 million mark. The Horseshoe casino also managed to hit one of its goals in April, when total revenue surpassed $30 million. The casino is expected to cross the $300 million revenue market once the August reports come in, making it the second consecutive year that the casino has made more than $300 million.

These strong results have made it possible for the Horseshoe casino in Baltimore to continue to make significant contributions in gaming tax payments and local impact grants. The casino paid out $20.2 million in its first year in the form of local impact grants and gaming taxes and will pay $22.8 million in its second year once the August results come in. This will be an increase of around 13 percent which will benefit the local communities and small businesses near the casino.

The Horseshoe casino general manager Chad Barnhill left the casino in November 2015 and Erin Chamberlin took over the responsibility soon after. Her focus during the second year was to find out what Horseshoe customers wanted to experience while visiting the facility and then catering their services to meet those demands.

In a statement, Chamberlin said “When you first open up in a brand new market, and this not an established gaming market, you are not really sure what guests are looking for. But we have learned over time what customers prefer and we have tailored our marketing efforts to make us more successful. What has been achieved here in two short years is pretty spectacular. Right now we are in a good rhythm and folks are pretty aware of us.”

The Horseshoe marketing team has played an integral part in the casino’s success as they have formed a number of successful partnerships that has enabled the casino to bring in more patrons. One of those partnerships is with the Baltimore Ravens who play their games at the M&T Bank Stadium which is right next door to the casino. A number of people attending these games also visit the casino and take part in gaming and non-gaming activities.

The MGM National Harbor casino which is expected to open at the end of 2016, will provide competition to the Horseshoe casino but Chamberlin is confident that the casino will have a good third year as her team continues to build strong partnerships and cater to the specific needs of Horseshoe patrons.