MGM Lands Casino License for National Harbor

A Maryland commission voted Friday to award a state casino license to MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas-based company plans to develop a $925 million casino at National Harbor across the Potomac River from Alexandria, according to The Washington Post.

MGM plans to construct a world-class dining, retail and entertainment resort on a 23-acre plot with views of the Potomac and Washington DC skyline. Among other amenities, the casino complex will include:

• 3,600 slot machines
• 140 gaming tables
• An 18-story glass hotel tower with 300 suites
• At least four celebrity chef-driven restaurants
• A 1,200-seat concert theater
• A spa
• Luxury retail stores

MGM CEO Jim Murren said National Harbor will be the most profitable casino in the United States outside of Las Vegas because of its location, the three major airports that feed it and because Virginia "won't have gambling in my lifetime," according to the Washington Business Journal.

In 2012, MGM spent roughly $40 million to support Maryland’s referendum to expand gambling.

Tanger Outlets at National Harbor, a new 330,000-square-foot center with more than 80 retailers, opened near the casino site on Nov. 22.

Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille has said the new developments at National Harbor are good for the city.

“People have asked what I think about a casino coming to National Harbor,” Mayor Bill Euille said at an Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association event in September. “Duh, it’s good for the local economy. … We’ve embraced National Harbor. It’s good for the region, particularly here in Alexandria.”

Tell us: How do you think the casino will impact Alexandria? What are your concerns? Are you excited for nearby slot machines and gambling? Share your thoughts in the comments section.