There are a number of reasons for this stagnation, according to Cavilla, not the least of which was the opening of the Maryland Live! Casino in Anne Arundel County this fall. In December of 2012, the casino had posted roughly $46.5 million in revenue for the calendar year-to-date. “Last year we were able to report some decent growth but right now it’s pretty much flat.” After discussing table games, he also spoke about the casino’s slot revenue for the year, which is about even with last year.“The revenue for the casino is flat with last year right now,” Cavilla said. However, Cavilla revealed that his organization is still weighing making significant structural upgrades to allow the installation of table games and expects an announcement either way in the near future.

“We did not feel it was in our best interest to remove 300-400 machines because of our size to bring table games in,” he said.Įven if the casino was willing to sacrifice machines for tables, Cavilla pointed out that the facility would still lack some of the secondary infrastructure in place to support table games. When the much-discussed state legislation approving table games passed last year, Cavilla said that Ocean Downs was glad to have the option opened up but isn’t willing to go the same route as some larger casinos and remove slot machines to make room for table games like poker, black jack or roulette. Because of how restrictive the original license was, there weren’t a lot of extra things done to the building to bring it on line.” “That is a lot of construction that would have to happen at the facility to bring them in. “Table games are being seriously considered is the way I would put it at this point,” Cavilla told the LDC after being asked if the casino was moving in that direction. Additionally, Cavilla confirmed that casino revenue this year has been “flat” with what was earned last year, though a strong summer is anticipated. He said improvements are being made to parking and the race track. Table games at the Casino at Ocean Downs are under “serious consideration,” according to General Manager Joe Cavilla, but there are no concrete plans in place currently.Ĭavilla was on hand during this week’s Local Development Council (LDC) meeting to update the group on what’s new with Ocean Downs. Written by Travis Brown, Staff Writer – The Dispatch

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